Forces Beyond Reckoning: Vacation
by RaisingKittens
Summary: Harry Potter has had enough of fighting for his freedom. Sure, Voldemort's dead, but the Wizarding World won't leave him alone, so he decides to leave them all behind. Infinity awaits, and with it, Forces Beyond Reckoning. First up? Time for a vacation! HP/Pokegirls x-over, Harry/harem, violence, sexual themes, language.
1. Chapter 1 Enjoy Your Vacation, Champion!

**Disclaimer:**  
I don't own Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form. JKR has those rights. I also don't own Pokegirls, but I don't think anybody does (?).

***Author's Note***  
Inspirations: A Third Path to the Future by Vimesenthusiast, Wand and Shield by Morta's Priest, Wizard Runemaster and Last Second Savior by Plums, World of Wheezes by Byakugan789, and the Tales of Mr Black - starting with Make a Wish - by Rorschach's Blot (et all).

Most of these inspirations are in progress, and I highly recommend stealing time from other activities to read these stories.

For more information on Pokegirls, google 'Pokegirls' and visit one (or more) of the following websites: , the Pokegirl World Project, or the Pokegirls Pokecenter.

Please Read and Review!

Chapter First Published: 2014-05-28

Chapter Edited: 2014-06-06

Chapter One: Enjoy your Vacation, Champion!

Harry James Potter, thirty year old Wizard, was tired of British Wizards and Witches hounding him everywhere he went. All he wanted to do was explore the magical world beyond Great Britain, but no, they constantly had to butt in everywhere he went. They even found him in his hide-out under the Antarctic Glacier, those bastards. Nothing he'd done to get away from them had worked, but that was okay. They wouldn't be capable of following him this time, those nasty gold-diggers, fangirls – and fan_boys_, much worse than fangirls – the other assorted hangers-on and false friends, Ron came to mind strongly here, politicians wanting to use him for purposes he loathed, the list went on and on.

The worst thing about it was that _nothing_ had changed. Thirteen years since Voldemort's defeat, and _nothing_ was truly different. The same circumstances that existed during Voldemort's first rise existed still, thirteen years after his second death.

Hermione's death was the only real difference. Harry didn't know whether to be pleased with that or grieve every time he thought of her, his first love. Harry would hate for her to be alive to witness the casual destruction of her legacy, yet he hated the fact she was dead just as much. She had desired to change the world, and he would have willingly helped her change it, but she was dead, and he just couldn't bring himself to care about the moronic witches and wizards of Britain.

It was far past time to leave this world behind for good. His portal had been ready for some time; the past two years were solely to build himself up, to finish acquiring the gear he'd need to survive whatever he walked into.

Weapons, armor, survival gear, he had it all, and most of it was heavily enchanted. Secrets he'd found in twelve years of wandering the world, digging up ancient tombs and killing the occasional Dark Lord or Lady who had uncovered something interesting or unusual. Heavily enchanted Adamantium Weave underarmor, mithril etched rune engraved Basilisk Hide for outerarmor, with Death's Invisibility cloak folded up in a pocked. He wasn't completely stupid, however, and wore a set of normal clothes over the Basilisk Hide, for he had no way to know what he'd run into. Gryffindor's Sword was slung over his back, Death's Wand waiting in its sheath on his left forearm, Death's Ring next to Hermione's engagement ring on his left hand ring finger. He still hadn't really figured the ring out, yet, and he doubted he ever would. The rest of his gear was equally powerful and well taken care of: additional rings, earrings, amulets, crowns, headbands, glasses, goggles, a set of contacts, the list went on and on, from the fully outfitted and currently in stasis greenhouse to the heavily enchanted pistol, most of which was stored away in a series of shrunken trunks, placed into another trunk, and held on a chain around his neck. The pistol conjured ammunition as it was fired, and a selector allowed it to etch runes onto each bullet.

He took one last look at his final hideout – a penthouse suite in Los Vegas. He was rarely ever there, only showing up to drop off potential resources and tools or to mess with his portal. Everything was packed away, nothing was left. All of his notes were destroyed, the books they were taken from in a portable library. His portal was embedded into the wall, rare gemstones – rare because of the way they channeled magic – molded into the required runes. It _should_ fade into nothing after he stepped through.

_Should_. In case it didn't, though, he'd warded the room to hell and back again. _Nothing_ was going to get through without his awareness, no matter where – or _when_ – he was.

Checking all of his gear one last time, except all of those trunks – that would take way too long – he activated the portal and stepped through.

* * *

Death twitched as someone stepped outside of the mortal realm. Most reality hoppers took _very_ different routes to walking between worlds, something about how difficult it was to even access the realm she existed in.

Actually, _every_ world hopper took a different route than this one, but everybody came here eventually, no matter what they did in life. There had to be some way to get to the afterlife, after all, and Her realm was the only way. That blasted ring that villain who wished to become Death had made only brought an echo, but it was created with the power he had stolen from her.

She moved to the source of the twitch, appearing behind the human male as his portal closed.

"At least the portal closed," he murmured. "I don't want any of _those_ people following me."

"I don't think anybody would want to follow you into _my_ realm, mortal," Death laughed, with the assurance only someone who is inevitable can have. He spun around, quick as lightning, a wand pointed at her, a wand she recognized. "You have – how? How do you have that wand?" She staggered back, dazed at the very sight of the wand someone stole the power to make so very long ago and at the power this intruder exuded. Harry staggered back, as well, the sheer aura Death presented scrambling his senses.

He did manage to speak, "... it refused to leave me alone. Blasted thing, anyway, just like the ring and the cloak. I tossed the wand and the stone into the ocean, once, and they were on my desk at my next hideaway."

Death at him fearfully, "And the cloak?" she shivered. It didn't matter that she hadn't created them herself, for they were created with her power, power forcibly taken from her

"Family heirloom, practically the only thing I have of my father," then he mumbled, "I wish I had that little of my mother."

Death unfroze. "So what does the so-called 'Master of Death' wish with me?" she asked, straightening up, aware at last that she had nothing to fear from this human.

"Er, to walk on through? Unless you can destroy these items, in which case that would be awesome. No matter how useful they are they scare the shit out of me." He looked like he was thinking. "So, are you actually Death? 'Cause it didn't even cross my mind Death could be hot," he said, flushing lightly. Death was clad in black, form fitting clothes. Her pale skin showed wherever her clothes were absent, such as down her slender forearms, or her elegant, graceful neck. Her clothes hinted at the generous curves they concealed, and a single slit showed off her legs whenever she moved.

She laughed. Although not at ease with the fact that the bearer those accursed items had entered her realm with the intent to cross it to another world, she noticed that he was remarkably down to earth. And good looking. That helped her opinion of him immensely.

"Yes, I'm actually Death, yes you are currently in my realm, _no_ you are not on your way to the Afterlife, and _no,_ you are _not_ my Master." She frowned. "You could use them to hurt me greatly, but they can't compel me to your will, nor would they actually kill me. The bastard who made those items stole the power to make them from me, and imbued all he could into them. When three people passed a trap he set up to seek my favor – or my forgiveness, both of which were impossible for him to do – he split the items up between them."

"Well, that's a relief. It also explains why _you _are female while the so called 'Death' in the story is male."

She laughed again, "I imagine it would. I would be willing, however, to accept a Champion," she smirked as he reeled back, _that_ _damn_ _wand_ disappearing into the ether, shock writ on his face. She didn't know exactly where that came from, other than that she was lonely. All paperwork and no fun make for a stressed out Death, and a stressed out Death starts looking for ways to, ah, amuse herself.

"Why would you tie yourself to a _mortal_ like that?"

"Because it isn't often that one survives my being called into their presence," she said.

"Wait, what?"

"Harry Potter," she sighed, "I'm actually pleased to see those damn Hallows here, though I wish I had been more on my guard in the first place, so that they were never created. You bringing them here, where I can reclaim their power, means I owe you a boon, whether or not you become my Champion. The Killing Curse draws a shadow of a fragment of – well, _me_, really – into the Mortal Plane, and sheathes it with magic coated in Hatred and Loathing or Sorrow and Despair, depending upon the caster and the use. The fragment is enough to forcibly yank the spirit out of the body and send it on its way. The intent is required because the pure magic required to cast an emotionless killing curse is beyond humans."

"Well," he sighed, "That explains why it's so hard to block."

"It's actually quite easy to block," a third voice spoke. "You just need to pull a fragment of me into the mortal plane to counter it. Doing that is much more complicated than calling up Death, however."

"Life! I haven't seen you in, umm, I forget." Harry turned to look at the newcomer. She was wearing green, green everywhere. Pale green, white green, dark green, all green everything. Her skin was lightly tanned, as though she spent some time every day working in a garden. Her clothes revealed tantalizing hints of smooth, slender curves, and honey-blonde hair fell to her waist. The aura around her was vibrant, full of desire, dreams, pure _life_. Every step she took caused plants to grow out of the dead ground around her, but by the next step taken they had withered away into nothing, for there was nothing here for life to take root to, unlike Life, who was mobile.

"It's been a few millennium, Death, but you know I can never stay away for too long."

"Yes, you always come back to me eventually."

"You know neither of us would exist without the other, so why does it seem like you are complaining?"

Death pinched her nose in mild exasperation. "Because this is the first time you've shown up without advance warning of any kind."

Life snorted. It was somehow cute. "I _felt_ you decide on a Champion."

That knocked Death for a loop. "How?"

"I just did, something about balance," Life grinned. "Who's your Champion, anyway?"

"He hasn't decided yet!"

"Ha, what does that have to do with_ your_ decision to take a champion? Whether he ever acknowledges it or not, he is now _your_ champion."

Harry Potter looked on, bemused. Two extremely powerful beings – either the source of or the personifications of their titles – engaged in a petty squabble. That last statement, though, threw him a bit.

"Hey, don't I have any say in this? Besides, you haven't answered my first question!"

"Which question might that be?" Life asked, Death standing there with an open mouth.

"Why would she tie herself to a mortal?"

"Harry, I hate to break this to you, but you're anything but mortal. All the stuff you've gone through? Hit with not one, but _two_ Killing Curses, the first at a _very_ young age, and still alive? Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears still flowing through your bloodstream? Not to mention whatever else you've gone through since then." Life shook her head. "Death really can't make a better choice than Harry Potter for her Champion."

"Okay, but what does having a Champion do for _her?_ And what do I get out of this?"

Death sighed, "I get an agent that can act in the mortal realm. I, myself, am incapable of moving there, and there are events that just... gah! Piss me the fuck off. You gain a power boost which steadily increases as you complete tasks I give you," here she smirked lasciviously, "And I get a lover. In this case, a _male_ lover." _Perhaps_, she thought, _this is why I decided so easily, so quickly_. "Eventually. When you can take me." She blushed lightly.

Harry flushed a bright red at the thought. Thirty-something he may be, but talking about sex always knocked him off balance. It was something he'd managed to successfully ignore while at a boarding school. Somehow. Or maybe he didn't, and simply suppressed all thoughts of it after Hermione died as too painful to remember.

"You also gain an immediate boon," Life said. "We'll remove the curses on the Wand and the Ring, and attune them to better fit you. The cloak is free of them."

"Hey, what do you mean, '_we'_?"

"Remember that bit about balance? Since you chose a Champion, I am _required_ to chose a Champion. The longer it takes me to pick one, the more this particular slice of the multiverse gets out of whack. The more out of whack things get, the harder it is to bring balance back. Plus, this will even things out _easily_, without any of the world shattering events that would otherwise happen. I don't think you want to do _more_ paperwork, yes?"

"You have a point," Death replied, grudging her loss in this matter. "I hate paperwork. Damn immortals..." She turned to Harry, "If you accept being the champion of one of us, you accept it for both of us. Sorry, Harry."

"It's not like I have anything to lose by accepting, right?"

Life raised a questioning eyebrow. "What about your dream of a normal life?"

"I realized it was just a dream over a decade ago." Harry said flatly. "All the stuff I went through at Hogwarts, and everything I've done since, have made me realize that a 'normal' life is boring."

"Ah."

"So. I, Harry James Potter, accept the offers of Life and Death to be their Champion." Harry and the ladies twitched.

"Well. That felt funny," Harry said just before a black Eye of Horus started etching itself into his skin around his left eye, a deep green ankh doing the same around his right. "So did that."

"The more you do in our service the fancier the tattoos become," Death spoke plainly.

"Fantastic," he said, looking into the mirror Life had created in front of him, eying the tattoos around his eyes.

"And the tattoos are hidden unless you flare your magic," she continued. "So it'll just freak people out more when you do so."

Harry blinked, curious, then shook it off and asked, "So, what now?"

"You have several options. First, you can continue on the path you were on – it will take you to Azeroth."

"That sounds familiar... wait, is that the same Azeroth as World of Warcrack?"

"Precisely. Are you familiar with that game?"

"No, I've just seen some of the adverts when I've been in non-magical areas," he mused. "Okay, what's the next option?"

"The other option is we knock you off of this path and send you to a remarkably different Earth."

"And why would I want to go back to where I just left?"

"You would be going to a Parallel Reality, except things are extremely different."

"Could you explain more, Death?" Harry asked, clueless.

"Gah!" she threw her arms up in frustration. "You explain it, Life!"

"One explanation that I've heard is that for each action taken, a new universe is created for the other actions that _could_ have been taken. These other universes are mirrors of the first. The closer the mirrors are to your starting universe, the fewer things have changed. But if you were to go to one a long, long ways away..." Life trailed off, hoping he would make the connection.

"It would be very different, so different that almost nothing is the same?"

"Precisely. Now, the specific universe I have in mind will be remarkably like a vacation compared to Azeroth. On Azeroth there are plenty of active threats that could take you down with minimal hassle at this point. On this Alternative Earth, there is very little that can truly take you down now, and most of those are either not hostile or are not capable of acting."

"Anything else I should be aware of?"

"Yes, you'll find love in either case, but on the Alternate Earth you'll get it very, very quickly." She grinned broadly, and threw a wink in Death's direction. "Furthermore, you'll have a chance to further your service to us there that won't be particularly life-threatening, unlike what's available on Azeroth."

"Okay, what's the catch?"

"You'll need to use _everything_ you've got to survive the new place, at least at first. Azeroth would be worse. We'd rather not have to rebuild your body every few days."

"That sounds like it would be rather painful," Harry muttered.

"Too true," Life sighed.

"So, are you ready, Champion?" Death asked.

"Just one more question."

"Go ahead, Champion," Life replied.

"What has you two all giggly about this particular world, anyway?"

"You are officially on Vacation, Champion! Enjoy yourself!" Death ordered. Life giggled in response, thinking of all the dirty, sexy things the strangely innocent Harry would experience.

"Damnit!" Harry cursed as he was yanked away from his new, oh what's the word, backers? Patrons? Matrons doesn't quite seem right, so that's out. Supporters? Guides? Associates? Whatever. The two of them were all giggly over _something_, and Harry felt that to be a little freaky. That two incarnations of existence – or aspects of existence, or something – were giggling like schoolgirls struck him as just wrong.

* * *

"I wonder if he'll be irritated with us?" Death mused to her some-time lover Life as they curled up on the couch, watching as Harry fell through the darkness between worlds that comprised Death's domain.

"Of course he's irritated with us, we withheld useful information from him," Life answered. "He'll get over it, eventually considering it a practical joke. So what prompted you to send him to that world in particular?"

"I checked over his life as soon as I saw him. Multitasking is a wonderful skill, especially when you don't need to actually do anything to examine someone's past except look at two things at once. Anyway, he has had a crappy life, especially after his Hermione died."

"His Hermione?" Life interrupted.

"Yes, _his_ Hermione, much the same way she was _her_ Harry."

"She was his source of happiness?"

"His _only_ source of happiness. He proposed to her shortly before her death. The band he wears on his left hand ring finger is the ring he gave to her when he proposed. Which reminds me, did we 'fix up' the wand and ring yet?"

"Hmm, no, I don't think we did. Oops."

"That should be easy to remedy, just mix items with a strong connection to life into the items with a strong connection to death. A wand of death and protection, a ring of spirits and souls? Something like that."

"An excellent idea, thank you, Death." Life's eyes flashed. "It's done. He hasn't made it there yet, either."

"Back away, you vile tangent! So you sent him to that world so he can find something similar to what he lost?"

"Yes, the bonds he will probably end up forging with a number of the inhabitants will provide him an anchor to help rebuild the gaping hole in his heart."

"So why did you name him your Champion?"  
"There are plenty of those who seek to avoid me in the mortal realms that I can't reach without one. Especially on that world – the 'loss' of magic prevented them from being discovered, exposed, and destroyed, thereby ensuring that they would remain out of my reach. He'll have plenty of tasks to do there – _after_ he has his vacation. Say, a year or so, unless something comes up. Why did you agree to it?"

"There are plenty of people who seek to destroy life in the mortal realms that I cannot touch without a champion. It is good that we both picked the same man, now isn't it?" She burrowed a little closer into Death's embrace.

"Why?"  
"Because frequently the two are entwined."

"And your other reason?"

"It's been far too long since either of us has had a male lover," she whispered into Death's ear, "And since we both chose him, he's more likely to gain enough power to become that lover." Death shivered in pleasurable anticipation, both for Life's searching fingers and the thought of someone who could keep up with the two of them.

Her last idle thought before pleasure overtook her was, "_I wonder where our other sisters are."_

* * *

Harry landed with a brief thump on a meter wide dirt pathway. His presence was announced to the immediate area with a flash of bright white light, and to the world as a whole with deep echoes felt by every magic user on the planet. The area went to normal extremely quickly: the wind blew again, and the insects native to the area began singing their songs. Random grasses bent like waves beneath the modest wind, and sturdy trees grew here and there, frequently in the wind shadow of small hills. The road was only visible for a short distance either direction before it wound around two hills. Harry pulled himself from laying flat on the ground to a sitting position, and from there to standing, checking his body for any signs of injury. That completed with no complications, he checked to see if all of his things were there. When they were, he conjured a hand mirror to see if what he had just gone through was a dream or reality.

The black Eye of Horus around his left eye belied the thought that it was a dream, as did the green ankh around his right eye. He snorted. Why couldn't he be normal? Ha, it's not like there really is anything normal about walking between worlds, especially the way _he_ did it, taking a path through Death's Realm, indeed.

"That first step sure is a doozy," he muttered.

He heard the voice long before he saw the man it was sounding from.

"I saw that bright light! I know you did, too! The only thing it can possibly be is a Tamer of some kind, as we are extremely deep in feral territory!" A loud, obnoxious voice exclaimed, the sound echoing off into the hills around them. "I must challenge aforementioned Tamer! This is _my_ area! My hunting grounds! How dare this, this _upstart_ show up here and seek to claim that which is mine?"

A brief pause, and then, "Of course he knows! _Everybody_ knows that this is the territory of Bartholomew Blunderghast the Mighty!" another pause, then the sound of flesh striking flesh. "Silence! You are my Pokegirl, I am your Tamer! You _must_ obey me!"

The obnoxiously loud man's voice sounded ever closer. Harry, utterly lost and curious, decided to wait where he was. He sat down and rubbed his head, waiting for the arrogant blowhard to come around the corner and spot him.

Harry didn't have to wait too long for a large, not quite round man to step into his view. The presumed Bartholomew Blunderghast the Mighty had a strange looking backpack, odd looking red and white balls attached to a belt of some kind, and was standing next to something... weird. It – because it most definitely wasn't human – was covered in light red scales. Its hair looked like fire, agitated red-blond waves flowing in a breeze completely counter to the actual wind. It had a pair of large, round breasts that stood out firm and proud. Its feet and hands were clawed. It – no, she, definitely she – was beautiful, and quite human, too, for her features – other than all the scales and the tail – were far too close to human to be a coincidence of evolution. The only clothing she wore was around her waist, providing her with a small modicum of modesty.

Or she would be beautiful, if it weren't for the hatred Harry could see in her eyes when she looked at who Harry assumed was Bartholomew.

"Shut up, slut!" he commanded.

It didn't look like she'd spoken a single word, and the glance she gave Bartholomew reminded Harry of his time at the Dursleys.

"There's the Tamer!" Harry heard the capital, and was confused. "I challenge you to a Pokeslut battle for the rights to capture ferals in this area!"

Harry just looked at the man, confused. "Who and what why, now?" he asked, completely lost.

"I challenge you to a Pokeslut duel!"

"What kind of duel is _that_?"

"You send a Pokeslut out to battle one of mine!" Harry just looked at the fat man."You _must_ be a Tamer! Only a Tamer is capable of making it this far from the nearest city!"

"Master," the... _Pokeslut _can't_ be the right word__... _girl?... said, "the nearest town is less than twenty miles away."

"Shut up, _bitch_! No Taming for you tonight! Back into your 'ball with you!" Bartholomew the Mighty shouted, holding one of the balls – suddenly enlarged – formerly attached to his belt in his hand. He depressed a button, and a red beam shot out and seemed to suck the girl in.

"What the hell was that?" Harry exclaimed, finally standing upright.

"Since you seem to know nothing, I'll just kill you and take your stuff! I screw you, Pri-Mate Wild Thing!" and he threw one of those strange balls out. A beam released a... monkey girl. She stood about five feet tall, modest breasts, soft brown fur covering her body, a tail lashing out behind her. She immediately dropped into a combat stance balanced on the tips of her toes, then relaxed into passivity on not seeing anything.

"Beat him up, Wild-Thing! He's a Tamer not recognizing a challenge! I have the right to do this!"

The being in front of me just looked at me curiously. "Master, he has no pokeballs."

"Silence, whore!"

"..." the simian being looked skyward, probably asking for strength from the beyond.

"You _will_ defeat this Tamer!"

"Look, I don't know what a Tamer is, I don't know who you are, and I have no idea who the lovely girl in front of you is, so if you could perhaps take it from the top...?"

"My name is Bartholomew Blunderghast the Mighty! You will bow before me!"

"Are you a little touched in the head?"

"Are you calling me crazy?!"

"Certainly not, Barty," Harry said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Don't call me that!" the insane man replied obliviously. The monkey girl, 'Wild-Thing', _and what kind of name is that, anyway?,_ caught on, smirked, and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, Mr. Mighty," Harry replied, distracted, for something had caught his attention. The insects that he'd heard were now quiet, and it wasn't a result of Bartholomew's presence. There was something else nearby, something... dangerous. Harry's eyes fluttered, showing all white, as his mind searched for whatever was nearby. Wild-Thing's eyes widened in shock as she felt his mind pass over hers, Bartholomew didn't even notice it in his continued rant.

But Harry couldn't find whatever it was. A shadow of a shadow was all that he could find traces of, but not whatever was causing the area around him to be silent except for the wind.

He pulled his mind back to himself, opened his eyes, loosened his weapons in their sheaths, and drew his wand, preparing himself for _whatever_ may come. His wand was no longer pure death, however – now it was a mixture of life and death, yin and yang. Elder wood and thestral hair entwined with crystallized phoenix fire and wood from Avendasora, the Tree of Life. Harry didn't know when it happened, but he could _feel_ the difference in the wand as he held it. It felt warm now, not cold as it always had before. Hastily muttered spells and wand flicks deadened his scent, any sounds he would make, and left him as less than a flickering blur against the tall grass behind him.

"Master?" Wild-Thing asked hesitantly. "The tamer has disappeared, Master."

"Ha! He has forfeit my challenge! I am Victorious! Excellent work, Wild-Thing, you scared him off!"

Harry snorted, silencing spells up. This Barty fellow was more conceited than Malfoy ever was.

The grass rustled. _Something_ burst out, bladed arms flashed through a cloudless sky, and Wild-Thing fell over dead in a blink, her head and arms separated from her body, blood pouring down her chest and shoulders as the body stood still for an instant before tumbling to the ground. Whatever caused that ruckus disappeared in less than an eye blink, vanishing into tall grass that was barely up to Harry's thigh, even though whatever it was stood much taller than that.

Bartholomew Blunderghast the Mighty stood in shock. Something had just killed his newest pokegirl! He grabbed his remaining pokeballs and released all of his 'girls. Five beautiful women materialized from the red beams, one of them the beautiful fire-hair that had been sucked in earlier.

"Master?" she asked subserviently, then turned and saw the bloody headless body of her newest harem-sister, and the Master's current favorite, Wild-Thing. Well, former favorite, and ex harem-sister. "Master?! What is going on!?"

"Slut! Something killed Wild-Thing, and it certainly wasn't the tamer, for he fled in fear! Start searching! I want to capture whatever killed Wild-Thing so easily!"

The 'girl nodded, and gestured to her comrades. One stood by her Tamer and snorted, her bountiful bouncing breasts mesmerizing Harry for an instant. Her long pink hair hung straight down to her waist, and her golden eyes spoke of sadness, anger, self-hatred, and boredom. Her muscular body tensed as she stretched, showing her curves off to all and sundry, none of whom cared. Well, Harry cared. The rest of her body mesmerized Harry when he tore his gaze away from her boobs.

"Slut! I said go look for whatever killed Wild-Thing!"

"Why should I care, _Master?_" She mocked. "It makes no difference to me." Harry saw her eyes. He knew that what Barty thought didn't matter to her. Perhaps another could bring her out of it?

Bartholomew the Mighty snarled. He wished he'd paid attention to his Bimbo now, or at least traded her for a combat capable pokegirl, but he hadn't, and now this Hyperdoll that loathed him refused to leave. There was nothing he could do about it though, except pretend she didn't exist unless he wanted to Tame her.

The other girls had moved away by the time Harry drew his gaze from the beautiful woman hovering near Bartholomew. One had taken to the air, and was searching around in a spiral pattern, yellow feathered wings beating steadily,black feathers coating the rest of her body except for her breasts, which were covered in a light yellow down. The fiery 'girl from earlier was slowly moving into the grass, searching everywhere, fire coating her arms. The 'girl who had skin colored in tans, browns, and grays had started to take precautions, moving to the side of the road and raising earthworks, forming a crude barrier to any who would enter. The being with the bladed tail took to scything the grass down inside and outside the barrier.

Bartholomew looked at his 'girls as they worked. Except for his blighted Hyperdoll, they tended to do excellent work. Not that he'd ever tell them that, of course! He was Bartholomew Blunderghast the Mighty, and his pokegirls learned how to act from _him_! Learned what to do from _him_!

The still nameless Charmelons sighed, for 'Slut' was not a name she'd wish on anybody. She wished she had a capable Tamer, instead of this idiotic insensitive clueless moron. Unfortunately, the basic Tamer's test was so easy even a few people with the Insanely High Stupidity Blood-Curse could pass it. Her master's family's trainer was an excellent trainer, but – much like her master – he was a total narcissist.

Whatever had killed the Pri-Mate came back. Only Harry noticed it at first, and he only noticed because he was looking right at it when it appeared, chittering its dismay incomprehensibly. This thing just looked freaky. Spiky black chitinous armor covered its upper body, which had _four_ arms, the lower pair ending in the nasty scythe blades that had killed Wild-Thing, the upper pair ending in a typical human hand. Some nasty poison glistened on the blades. Harry had no intention of staying to fight it, but he was fascinated by the locals here.

_Hang on_, he thought_, if this world is the _less_ dangerous one, and I just saw that creature slice through bone easily, then I do _not_ want to go to the other world for a long while!_

Moving his eyes to its head, he saw red eyes partly hidden by stringy black hair evenly spaced around her head. Harry was stunned at the implications of three hundred and sixty degree vision, and was promptly pleased with himself for hiding. It was supported by four hairy spidery legs jutting out from a spiders abdomen, a nasty looking stinger hanging below it. A bright red Hourglass stood out against the back of the abdomen, easily visible from Harry's perspective.

It was just as visible to the flying bird-woman, who just made another pass over the road. "Master! WIDOW! _RUN_!"

"A widow? What's a widow?" Bartholomew muttered, proving in the minds of his harem his complete stupidity, opening up something, which proceeded to answer his question verbally.

"Widow, the Run For Your Life Pokegirl," the device began speaking in a monotone. A light lit up on it, one Bartholomew didn't recognize, but the Hyperdoll did. She giggled. They were going to be filmed as they all died! How quaint. It continued, "Recommendation, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! Behold a nightmare made flesh. Widows are the deadliest non-legendary pokegirl in existence, destruction incarnate, rage made flesh. Reward for successful sighting report and getting out alive: 40,000,000 SLC. Reward for confirmed kill: 900,000,000 SLC. RECOMMENDATION: RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, YOU FUCKING MORON!" _Bleep bloop._ "Error, incapable of connecting to satellite network. Error, incapable of reporting Widow sighting automatically. _Bleep bloop._"

Even after hearing this, Harry couldn't move. _Something_ was rooting him to the spot. No, not something, _s_ome_one._ Harry had a rather good idea what was doing so.

The widow, however, most certainly could move. It stood up on its hind legs and shot venom from its stinger, venom that flew twenty yards forward and splattered across the fiery Charmelons. She screamed, having heard the warning and turned to look at the road. The acid in the poison made swift work of her, eating through the thin layer of beautiful scales to utterly destroy her internal organs and neck.

Something seemed to snap inside of Bartholomew. Perhaps it was because he knew he was about to die, perhaps it was his sanity. In any event, "Storm! Fly to Titfield Valley! _Go!_"

"Yes, Master," she whimpered, knowing she'd never see her sisters again.

"Mr. Tamer, if you're still around, you shouldn't be. Only _one_ person has ever killed a Widow one on one! If you're not still around? Pure _genius_."

Then the Widow _moved, _a blur that ended in a spray of blood and gore. Bartholomew Blunderghast the Mighty's Harem fell easily, his Hyperdoll knocked unconscious and kicked away, his Blade-bunny sliced in three parts, and his Gravelgal tangled in webs dripping with deadly poisons. Barty himself was stripped naked, and the Widow had him pinned down. It slowly lowered itself onto his dick, then it paused. It screamed in rage and denial at _something_, then turned to face right at Harry.

Harry still watched, no matter how much he wanted to move."Death, let me _move,_" he muttered.

"We wanted you to see what the people of this world are like."

"Arrogant toerags? That doesn't mean he deserves to die, Death!"

"This character is a little worse than that, he's abusive to his Pokegirls," she responded, "and doesn't see anything wrong with that. His 'girls can't just leave him, because he has top of the line Pokeballs, so they stay until they are killed or he tires of them and trades them."

"And abusive to his pokegirls means what?"

"Think spousal abuse, Harry." He winced. He knew exactly what that was. "Exactly. Nobody liked him, not his family, not his pokegirls, nobody."

Harry shook his head to rid himself of bad memories. "What of the one who was knocked unconscious?"

"She is a Hyperdoll, a sad, unforgivable state of affairs. He ignored her so completely she learned that she doesn't have to care about anything, evolving from a Bimbo and making her tamer's life hell whenever she's let out of her 'ball."

"Okay, everything you've said I don't understand. But still, should I kill this Widow?"

"Yes. Consider this my first task for you. Good luck!"

And Death's presence vanished. Harry found he could move, but he had no idea how far away Titfield Valley was, or how long it would take the flying... Pokegirl, was that right? Pokegirl, then, to make it there, report on the Widow, and make it back with help.

The Hyperdoll stirred and moaned. She knew her master was dead, but there was nothing she could do to rectify that fact his killer was still alive, even if she showed what she truly was. The Widow _moved_ at the moan, knocking the sole remaining pokegirl unconscious once again.

Harry had had enough. He drew his wand in his left hand, Gryffindor's Sword in his right. The widow turned towards him; Harry cast out the Half-Blood Prince's Dark Cutter.

"_Sectumsempra!" _he whispered, a bleak line of energy flying from his wand. It passed right through its target, the Widow phasing slightly out of reality as it charged. Harry blinked.

A flick of his wrist caused a wall of earth and rock to jut out of the ground in the Widow's path. The Widow leaped over the obstacle, coming down on Harry from above. A sharp _crack_ had Harry elsewhere, now flinging spells with abandon. Ribbon Cutting curses and Blasting Hexes mixed in with other spells, spells that ignored armor. Tripping jinxes, the levitation charm, banishing charms, summoning charms, the works. Whenever the widow got too close, Harry apparated away, reappearing with a soft _pop_.

This went on for quite a while, without either side gaining an advantage.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bartholomew's Thundrix made it to the Town of Titfield Valley and, after confirmation by a psychic-type that there was, indeed, a Widow relatively nearby – twenty miles away – the whole area exploded into action. Not that Titfield Valley truly had the ability to handle a Widow on its own, but they had to do _something_, even if they only picked up the poor Thundrix' Tamer's remains. Scouts were dispatched nearly immediately by the local leader of the Stockton Legion.

The first responders on the scene of the Widow attack noticed that the area was a mess. Several bloody piles of limbs lay around, one immediately identified as Bartholomew. His pokedex was laying in an outstretched arm, which was not attached to his body. Walls of stone, riven boulders, exploded patches of ground, and many other scars of battle littered the area and trailed off into the distance.

The rest of Bartholomew's 'girls were in bad shape. The Thundrix was alive, having guided the quick reaction force to the area. She was simultaneously pleased with her master's death and saddened by it. The Hyperdoll laying against a boulder had multiple broken bones, but was definitely still alive. The Pri-Mate registered to Bartholomew was dead, her limbs severed from her body, while his Charmelons and Gravelgal appeared to have been melted by Hyper Venom, and his Blade-Bunny was hacked to pieces, only truly identifiable as such because the bladed tail remained intact.

The Captain of the first response team, Samuel Strongarm – named such for the fighting-type 'girls in his ancestry – ordered one of his men to check up on the pokedex. The rest were ordered to split up into groups and follow the eight primary compass coordinates, all pokegirls out, while he went with a ninth group to check up on the devastated trail. So the first response unit was literally everybody on duty at the station at the time. He knew they didn't have the forces to kill a widow, but if they could figure out what caused all this destruction he would be most pleased.

Charred patches of ground, deep cuts into it, more walls of raised rock, patches of ice, areas glassed by powerful lightning strikes, patches where Hyper Venom was still eating away at the grass and dirt, and _two_ locations where Hyper Beam had punched perfect round holes into hills.

It was about then that he started hearing the clang of sword on sword, or rather sword on scythe blade. He, his team, and his 'girls stepped over the top of a hill and looked down at a scene that shocked them utterly.

A human – a _normal_ looking human, without any apparent extra blood-gifts, darted around, exchanging sword blows with a Widow.

With a _Widow_.

When venom shot out of the Widow's mouth, Captain Strongarm thought it was all over. He was prepared to give the order to run when the venom erupting out of the Widow's mouth met with nothing but air. The man fighting her had _teleported to another location!_ And was currently flinging _spells_ at the Menace! Explosive blasts missed and threw shards of rock up from the ground. Ribbons of slicing energy missed the Widow and shattered those rocks further. As the beast closed, the rocks floated in mid-air, and changed to something else. When the Menace type pokegirl reached the man again, he disappeared in a flash, reappearing on the other side of the debris, which had changed into hundreds of sharp steel blades, ranging in length from three inches to two feet. As the nightmare turned to charge again, the blades were launched forward.

Most clattered off of the deadly spider's carapace. Many of the remaining were deflected by the scythe-blades along its lower arms, or by the carapace protecting the upper arms. A few ended up lodging in a few places, but no serious damage was dealt. Strongarm winced, that attack would have slaughtered most pokegirls, let alone Tamers or Mages. More flickering lights flew from the mage's wand, all of them either missing – due to how fast the Widow moved, not from lack of aim – or splashing on the carapace, from when it dodged one attack right _into_ another. Just before the Widow reached melee range, Strongarm noticed the mage sigh. His wand disappeared, and two swords were held in his hands, strange symbols glowing along the blade of one sword, the other etched with rampant lions and a red-gold hilt.

When the Widow and the Warrior-Mage clashed next sparks flew. The Widow failed to use her upper pair of limbs in any meaningful way, but that didn't stop her from slashing at the pitiful human in front of her, the human the recently arrived Tamers and Military personnel couldn't help without hurting.

"Captain, I can't get a read on him. He's nearly invisible to me psychically," his Ka-D-Bra reported.

"Nearly invisible?"  
"Frustration has been leaking out. Beyond that, nothing."

Strongarm looked back at the battle. The Widow got a blow in under the Warrior-mage's guard, and it looked like a shot right at the heart – except it glanced off of his armor, which became visible underneath a relatively normal t-shirt as the Hyper Venom the Widow's blades were coated with went to work on the fragile material of the shirt. It simply ran down the black-green scales of his armor, melting his clothes to reveal more and more armor underneath, until it finally reached the ground.

The Ka-D-Bra started to freak out. "I can make out two symbols tattooed around his eyes that I couldn't see before. One is in black, an Eye of Horus, and the other is in Green, an Ankh. I don't know what it means, but I can feel the power he's putting out, and it's clearly magical power, not psychic. I shouldn't be capable of feeling this!"

"Call everybody here. If he deals with the Widow and he's friendly, fantastic; if he isn't friendly or if he doesn't deal with the Widow, we'll be prepared."

His Alpha nodded and started sending orders. The others had mostly grouped up at the starting point of this mess, and now moved to support the others quickly.

As he turned back to the fight, Strongarm shook his head and sighed. The Widow was building up for a Hyperbeam, and it seemed that the mage was just standing there. No, wait, one hand was blurring, forming glowing symbols in the air. The brilliant white light of the Hyperbeam cast stark shadows, overwhelming the distant Sun with its power, screaming through the air it shattered as it bore down on the black-clad swordsman. His hand punched the symbols glowing in the air in front of him. A coruscating, ravenous stream of utter darkness rampaged forward, devouring the Hyperbeam as it went. The two beams of destructive power came to a halt exactly between the two battling powerhouses, the energies unleashed there tearing up the ground and sending ripples off into the air.

Strongarm looked on in shock. Something had just _blocked_ a Hyperbeam! More to the point, it looked like that devouring darkness wasn't actively being maintained – the spellslinger seemed to be doing something else entirely.

He seemed to be chanting in some incomprehensible language, his swords crossed on his back, his hands waving in front of him. A green-black sword slowly took shape in the air, the energy pouring into it draining power from his counter to a Hyperbeam, which slowly pushed the blackness back. Before it could crush through the shimmering runes powering the dark beam, however, the sword finished, and the mage _teleported_ behind the Widow, his mystical blade silent as it cut through the air – only for it to pass right through the monstrous Pokegirl. The widow had faded out of reality at the last instant! However, doing so forced it to stop powering it's hyperbeam, which promptly faded into nothing. The ravenous black energy shot forwards in response, _through_ the widow, and into the mage's hand, which seemed to power him up a bit. The symbols hanging in the air dissipated.

The Menace staggered and faded back into reality a few meters away from the War Mage, a fist sized hole punched through its chest, right where its heart was.

As the body of the insane pokegirl collapsed, clearly dead, the mighty mage fell to his knees, and the sword in his hands dissipated in black and green smoke. He looked up, took in the group of Tamers and their 'girls, gasped out, "Well, this is when backup usually arrives!" and passed out.

Captain Samuel Strongarm gaped, and so did every single Tamer and Pokegirl watching. His Ka-D-Bra summed everything up for him. "Looks like we should go pick him up and bring him to the Hospital."

"Yeah," her Tamer replied, still shocked that somebody had killed a Widow._ Alone_. It would take him, and the others, a lot of time to get over that, but there were other actions that needed doing.

"What's the status of that Hyperdoll?"

"She's been 'balled up and taken to the nearest pokecenter for healing."

"And the Thundrix?"

"The same, although she's agreed to questioning."

"How's the pokedex coming?"

"It has a recording of a part of the fight with the widow, both from when it slaughtered that Tamer, Bartholomew Blunderghast, and his harem, and from when that strange mage started fighting it. That section ends when they leave the area."

"What do we classify that man as, anyway?"

"Well, we've got to let the hospital do the blood-work first, and get an interview with him."

"And after all that?"

"We'll see."

"Very good work, thank you, Sienna. Please have everybody report back to Titfield Valley Military Headquarters for a debriefing." He wiped the sweat from his forehead, "What a day... and it isn't even halfway done yet."


	2. I Shouldn't Have Asked That Question,

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter, JKR and associated companies do. I don't think anybody owns pokegirls(?), least of all me.

**A/N:** I think I've answered most of the questions I got from reviewers (Thanks guys!) in this chapter. For those I haven't answered in this chapter, you might be answered at a later chapter, or at the ending A/N.

Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows! I'm ecstatic to have any interest at all in my first posted story!

Please visit: pokegirls . org, z3 . invisionfree PokegirlsPokecenter / index . php?, and www . angelfire mn3 / pokegirls / main . html for more information on pokegirls. (don't forget to remove the spaces!)

I have no beta. I do the best I can on my own - three drafts total, the first two are printed out and hand-edited (my red pen gets a workout). If you spot something you think is an error, please let me know by PM or leave a Review.

Sorry, no violence this chapter. There should be some next chapter, however. Also, apologies for the obligatory info dump required by a new character, and he _still_ doesn't know everything he probably should know yet. Please Read and Review!

Chapter First Posted: 06/06/2014

Chapter Two: Perhaps I Shouldn't Have Asked that Question

I don't like knowing the answer.

_Dreamscape, Time unknown_

"Well hello there, Harry! You've done a fantastic job."

"Who, what?" He said, looking around muzzily. He couldn't quite make out his surroundings.

"Oh, it's me, Death."

"I don't think I died..." he sleepily replied.

"You are correct, you didn't die."

"So why are you here?"

"Oh, you completed a Quest I gave you," she shrugged, "So I decided to visit while you were asleep so I could provide you with the promised reward. That and I haven't exactly given a Quest out before, and I don't know the next time you'll visit me."

"I don't recall you promising a reward when you told me to kill that Widow..."

"As you just said, you acted in my service by killing it. It should have died a while back, but someone managed to keep it in stasis – really messed up the paperwork for this world, let me tell you! If you can manage to figure out who or and deal with him, her or it, I'd appreciate it, but as you're on vacation, I won't push you to even start for, oh, a year or so."

"Thanks for the break, Death," Harry groused. " 'Enjoy your Vacation, Champion!' Vacation, sure. Just go kill this thing that's been known to murder entire cities without slowing down." _Wait, how do I even know that – oh, didn't the thingymajig the fat guy had say so?_

"Anyway! Time for your reward!" Death replied, eager to change the subject. Just because she'd asked for one little thing before he went on vacation... Harry's vision came in at that time. He actually was in a rather psychedelic place – but Death's visage soon filled his vision. He had no time to study the area as her finger reached out to touch his cheek, just under and to the left of the Eye of Horus tattooed there. Harry twitched in surprise as something etched itself into his skin, little shivers racing down his spine. He reached one hand up to touch his face and felt nothing new before Death blurred out of his vision and he fell back asleep.

* * *

_The Day After The Widow Died_

"Ooohh..." Harry moaned. "Did someone get the number of that lorry?" he said, but he was alone in the room he was in. Which was slightly odd, as he was still used to being in a hospital _wing_, despite over a decade away from Hogwarts, without any private rooms, but he knew immediately that he was in a hospital, or at least a medical room. The sterile white sheets were a giveaway, as was the harsh white lighting and smell of disinfectant. He blinked a few times. Yep, he was in a hospital bed somewhere. The room was, however, not a Doctor's office. The bed he was in was clearly a bed, not a booster. The sheets were some kind of odd plastic, but he tossed it off as a cultural peculiarity.

"So, what did I go through to get here... Oh, that's right, fought something called a Widow for, what, an hour? Killed it in the end, but exhausted myself to do so," He mumbled. "And before that there was the whole 'open a portal through Death's Domain' thing. I probably should have done more research, but at least she's friendly! And finally, while I was sleeping,Death gave me a reward..." He stumbled out of bed to look for a mirror. On finding one, he saw the new black teardrop trailing down his left cheek. He careened his way back into bed, still somewhat tired.

He heard voices outside of his door. They weren't particularly loud, but still, he heard voices.

"I want him to be my next Tamer, dammit!"

"Why? You never cared about anything except Taming before."

A feminine snort was the retort. "I was a Bimbo, hello? A _Bimbo_. And now I'm a _Hyperdoll_, of course I didn't care before!"

"So what's changed?"

"Our old tamer is dead now, remember? I have a chance to start again, and judging by the fact that he _killed_ a _Widow_, I can't really pick a better Tamer!"

"A better Tamer for what, Betsy?"

"You think I _like_ being a Hyperdoll? Sure this breed is powerful, but its natural inclinations are a pain in the _ass_ that I don't want to deal with! Gah!"

There was silence for a moment, then Storm spoke again, "Well, this stranger isn't a Tamer, Betsy."

"That won't be the case for very long, Storm, and you know it. What are you going to do, anyway?"

"No, I don't 'know it', Betsy! Why will he become a Tamer soon?"

"Because," she sighed, "he has no other decent choice. He's got too much power to do anything but become a Tamer. If he goes into any other field, well, he'll have literally everybody after him. As a Tamer, he's less of a threat."

"So if he becomes a Tamer, which will allow him to build his own power – and that of his harem – _easily_, he is somehow_ less_ of a threat?"

_Wait, what? Harem? Tamer? What kind of world have I gotten myself into?_ Harry thought. _'Tamer' seems to be a euphemism for _something. _And a harem? I don't think that word means what I'm used to it meaning. _Part of his studies while traveling included the Sultans and their Harems, including harem politics. Nasty business, that part – he hoped it wasn't the case here. Of course, these 'Pokegirls' seemed to be capable enough; there was most likely something beyond mere sex involved. The brief encounter with the fat man yesterday certainly implied that.

"Most Team members aren't too bright. The same is true of politicians."

_And there's another thing to research: 'What is a Team, and why should I be worried?' Oh, I should add 'Why aren't most of them too bright?' to that. Politicians are the same the world over, even though I'm not on _my_ Earth anymore._ That thought sent a pang through him, one that he shook off. Everything of that world that mattered to him was in the trunk around his neck.

"So a politician with his level of power is a threat. A soldier or cop with that level of power is a threat. A Tamer, who basically does _whatever he wants_, is not a threat?"

"That's my understanding."

"Huh. So, Betsy... You aren't acting the same way a typical member of your breed should upon the death of her Tamer."

"I'm not exactly breed typical, Storm. Never have been, don't want to ever be."

Harry shook his head. He still had no idea what a Tamer was – though he was getting a decent idea – or why he should agree to become this Betsy person's "Tamer", or what 'Breed Typical' even meant. On the other hand, if it would get him out of the sight of the more powerful people – and most of the idiots, morons, and fools – on this world, at least for a little while, then it would absolutely be worth it. On the gripping hand, he could, perhaps, enjoy his vacation. Now, if only he knew exactly what a 'Tamer' actually _does,_ that might make it easier for him to come to a decision.

He sat back up in the bed, still fully armored. "Huh, hadn't noticed that before. I guess my benefactors couldn't get my armor off of me." His swords lay on a counter, along with what gear they could remove – his primary wand, a few daggers, his favorite pistol. The never-ending coil of rope was in its pouch on his jacket. Then his stomach growled.

A knock came at his door. "Hello? May I come in?" a deep male voice asked.

"Certainly," Harry answered.

"Oh! He's awake!" Storm muttered.

"I wonder if he overheard..." Betsy mused.

"We'd better get you back to the Pokecenter. You know they didn't like having to release you to give your statements," Storm's voice trailed off.

"Thank you," The voice replied, a slightly amused tinge to his voice, probably due to the reactions of the 'girls to the wakefulness of the man inside, or perhaps the brief discussion he'd doubtlessly overheard. The door opened, and a muscular blue-eyed, blond-haired man wearing a uniform entered the room.

"Hello, my name is Captain Samuel Strongarm, of the Stockton Legion, and I would like to offer you my thanks for slaying that Widow. If you hadn't been there, we probably would have lost a _lot_ of our men and women, and probably most of our pokegirls, too. If you can find the generosity to tell us _how _you did it, we'd love to know. The only _other_ person who's killed a Widow solo isn't available to tell us." He sat on the chair by the door.

"Hello to you, too, Captain. My name is Harry Potter, and I have to thank you for pulling me out of the wilds and into a hospital. To answer your question, I used magic," he smirked.

"It was like nothing I've ever heard of, and the Sunshine League is home to the magical University of Nuevo Tenochtitlan!"

Harry shrugged. "Most of those were variations on spells I learned while in school. They don't take up too much energy to use, so I prefer to throw them around rather than the more destructive ones."

"Learned them in your school? Wha – what? Matter transmutation – on the level I saw you pull off, with the earth and rock to sharpened steel! - can't be a beginners spell!"

"Ah, it's a variation on a first year spell, turning a matchstick into a needle. The differences are obvious," Harry smiled. "In addition, I believe you witnessed my teleporting, and the strength of my armor. Both of those allowed me to survive when it got close to me."

"And the last thing you did?"

"I'll have to get back to you on that one, I've never done either of those last two spells before today, and I'm fairly certain I won't be capable of it again anytime soon."

"Thank you for your candor, Mr. Potter."

"So maybe you can help me out: I have no idea what a Pokegirl is." Harry attempting to get his complete and total ignorance across.

Captain Strongarm blinked. "How can you not know? They've been around for three centuries!"

"Assume that I've been living under a rock. Either that, or that I fell down out of a hole in the sky. Take your pick."

"One of _these_ situations..." Strongarm mused. "I'm going to have to call in a Case Twelve. Nothing you need to worry about, Mr. Potter, I just need to inform some higher ups and do some extra paperwork. Besides, this sort of thing is surprisingly common. Most Case Twelves die rather rapidly; you, on the other hand, probably won't run into anything that can actually kill you. You being a Case Twelve is obvious in retrospect, as the only people insane enough to try to take on a Widow one on one are either in the Crimson League or from another reality. Anyway, all of this started a little over three hundred years ago, when a scientist and mage named Jim Sukutto managed to open portals to other realms, to learn how to help humanity..."

* * *

"So the present day is the result of a man driven insane, who promptly went to great lengths to destroy the society that condemned his research – which is what drove him insane in the first place, having a bunch of people he was mentally connected with die – forcing the remnants of humanity to adopt his habits, perversions, and creations in order to survive. So even though he died, he ended up winning completely?"

"That's it in a nutshell, yes," Captain Strongarm replied, bemused that this total stranger summed up the decade long War of Revenge so quickly.

"And the 'Pokegirls' he created require sex to stay sane?"

"Yup."

"Huh. So, taming would be a euphemism for sex, then."

Strongarm winced. He'd heard about Case 12's, how they came from wildly different cultures, cultures where sex was treated wildly differently. "It's called taming because it keeps pokegirls sane, or 'tame', to they don't go off randomly and kill everything in sight."

"... Right. So, what should I do now?" Harry asked.

"Well, I recommend becoming a Tamer. It's the most common profession, after all, and many Tamers become something else when their Taming days are done."

"Any other reasons than 'it's the most common profession?'"

"Well, yes, actually. You see, we have a Hyperdoll who wants to travel with you, and the only way we can do that is if you have a Taming license. In addition, Tamers are the most common travelers; most non-tamers stay rather close to home, for the wildlife tends to be on the deadly side. Next, being a Tamer will give you some time to adjust to this new world away from politicians and the major illegal organizations."

"And this Hyperdoll is one of those pokegirls you mentioned?"

"Yes."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Hyperdolls tend to be, ah, the result of a _lot_ of abuse. They learned that they don't need to care about much of anything, so they don't, and whenever something goes wrong, it's someone else's fault, never their own." He gulped, "In addition, they tend to act out far more after the death of the Tamer that caused their evolution into a Hyperdoll."

"So she's a bitch and is going to stay that way for a while?"

"There is an upside."

"Which is what, again?"

"You earn her respect, she'll evolve into a Redeemer, a pokegirl with a much more agreeable disposition and the ability to learn magic."

Harry perked up at the thought.

"I thought that might catch your interest," Strongarm was pleased at probably getting the Hyperdoll off his list of problems.

"I'll give her a shot, Captain."

"Thanks, that's a load off my shoulders."

"So there's no reason for me to _not_ become a Tamer, then, and several reasons for it."

"Precisely!"

"Including taking taking that Hyperdoll, Betsy? – I think that's her name – off of your hands."

Strongarm smiled pleasantly at the man across from him.

"So, what do I need to do to become a Tamer?"

"Here, read this guide," Strongarm said, handing over a narrow booklet. "This has everything needed to pass the basic Tamer's exam. The more advanced exams, including the Storage exam, are more comprehensive and require other things, such as Gym badges."

"And a Gym Badge is...?"

"A Gym is a place to train Pokegirls. A Gym Badge is earned by defeating the Gym Leader of a Gym, or an assistant, and is considered a mark of skill. As each gym focuses on different pokegirls, it takes a different mix of 'girls or a different strategy to defeat each one. At least Three Gym Badges are required to enter into any of the Championship Circuits. Gym Badges are also considered to be a mark of rank by some, the more one has the better one is."

"Do you believe that?"

"No, but Gym Badges can do other things. I'm not sure myself, being career military, but they can – in theory – boost your ability with the pokegirls associated with the badge, or provide the tamer with some mystical boost, much like enchanted armor or weapons can provide."

"How common are the badges like those?"

"Gym leaders are formers Tamers themselves, and quite frequently have a powerful harem backing them up. I believe that the only way to get the special badges is to defeat the Gym leaders of each gym, as opposed to one of their assistants."

"Fantastic," Harry said. "So it's good to be a Tamer, then?"

Samuel shook his head at this guy, "Yes, it's a good idea. What are you pressing me for?"

Harry just smiled at the man, "Alright, I'll get back to you after I finish reading this guide. Thank you, Captain, for your assistance. Oh, and Captain?"

Captain Strongarm paused on his way out of the room.

"Could you send up something to eat? I haven't had anything in a while, and I'm starving."

* * *

"Ah, General, I was wondering when you would show up. What can I do for you, sir?" Captain Strongarm saluted the man who entered his office.

"At ease, Captain," General Burns of the Stockton Legion replied, taking a seat. "What's going on with the Case Twelve?" The Stockton Legion absolutely has a human general. It also has Pokegirl generals, who dramatically outnumber their human counterpart. He's also the lowest ranked general, and will likely stay that way for the duration of his career. His presence – and that of Captain Strongarm - in the Stockton Legion was part of a political deal with other elements within the Sunshine League.

"He's agreed to become a Tamer, and is currently looking through the study guide."

"This is a relief."

"Agreed – he's got way too much power for him to be anything but a Tamer. While he was asleep we got a Sorceress over to check his magical power level – the only thing we could do prior to him going in for his Tamers Exam – and it was off the charts we have. The Sorceress needed a long Taming when that was done."

"Off the charts? Magical prowess off the charts? Nuevo Ten U will probably want to hear about this, then, if they aren't aware already. So when he goes in for his Taming Exam he'll get all of the other tests, excellent. We don't want this guy to have any reason to dislike any of us."

"Especially not with the spells he was throwing out." Strongarm muttered.

"Captain?" the General asked sharply, "What do you mean by that?"

"He used something that managed to halt a Hyperbeam. That's not counting the other marks we saw leading up to where the fight ended: explosive debris, residue of lightning strikes, places coated in slowly melting ice, odd barriers of rock and stone jutting out of the ground, charred patches of earth, straight cuts in the ground and hills, the occasional hole drilled into the hillside... one of which was clearly a Hyperbeam. The others? Probably something the Case Twelve did. He's scary with magic, very scary, and he's fairly good with a sword in each hand, too. It was an intense battle," he shook his head, "He's not someone I'd want hostile to me. It would be very bad for my health."

"Is this guy even human?" the General asked.

"I'd say yes. His reflexes and strength, although high, are not above peak baseline humans. It's mostly that so few humans reach peak these days, and they don't bother to try because they've got pokegirls."

"Alright, so we do everything we can to keep the Sunshine League on his neutral side, at _worst_. We do not want him hating us. He could be a wonderful friend, but him hating us is far, far worse." A moments pause, then, "Figure out how he cast that spell, Captain. If someone else can duplicate it..."

"I've already asked, sir. He said he doesn't exactly know, that was the first time he'd ever used it."

"Fantastic."

"On the positive side, he seems to be a reasonable individual."

General Burns choked out a laugh, "With his personal power and the power of the equipment he's got, he can afford to be reasonable. It's not like we could hold him if we wanted to."

"Someone managed to check out his equipment?"

"Unfortunately," the General replied mournfully. "Its all heavily enchanted, and that armor is made of something we don't have on Earth. It looks like it was made with Basilisk hide, but no Basilisk is immune to Hyper Venom! And we can't forget those swords of his, which were _also_ immune to Hyper venom! One of those is downright nasty; the other is covered with symbols and appears to be _unfinished!_"

"General, this is a Case Twelve we're dealing with. A powerful one."

Burns facepalmed, "Of course, the Basilisk pokegirl had to be based on _something,_ which means he probably killed a _real_ basilisk, a real _nasty_ basilisk. Damn Sukebe, opening all those portals to other worlds."

"And we're stuck with the consequences," Captain Strongarm shook his head. "I hate to make this suggestion, but should we inform the Pokegirl League Council as a whole of this?"

"Captain, that is not our choice to make."

"No, Sir, it isn't, but you or I are the most likely candidates to be tapped to deal with it if they _are_ informed."

"I don't think it's a good idea, Captain, but as I said, it isn't my choice to make."

"I don't think it's a good idea either, Sir. The PLC is generally like a sieve when it comes to classified information of this type. Too many of the leagues – including ours – are corrupt. And who knows what the Teams or SEELE would do about him?"

"My thoughts exactly, Captain."

"So, a brief summary would be an extremely powerful, capable, and resourceful Case Twelve that we, as in the Sunshine League as a whole, want to avoid so much as irritating in any way, shape, or form."

"That'll be the summary of your report then, Captain?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Get it to me by tonight, the Council is running around scared of this guy and wants a report yesterday."

"Yesterday?"

"The magical shockwave of his apparent entrance to our Earth covered the planet. They were calling me up about it yesterday before you even went out to handle that Widow."

Samuel whistled, "Damn, Sir."

"Agreed, Captain, agreed." He pulled himself out of the chair. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Sir!" he saluted. When the General was out of the room, he sighed. "I hope the Council takes our recommendations. We do _not_ want this guy against us." He shivered, remembering that the pokegirls had _failed_ to get him out of his armor, and how the Sorceress drooled over how heavily enchanted all of his gear was. He figured the General's check was after he'd exited the room. "Anybody in his harem is going to be extremely well equipped, especially after he picks up the bounty for that Widow."

"Sir?" Sienna popped in, "Harry Potter is ready to take his Tamers Exam."

"Thank you, Sienna, please bring him to me. I've got the forms for the test right here," he said, patting a small pile of paper.

"Yes, sir."

Sam had a few moments of peace and quiet filling out paperwork before Harry entered the Spartan room. Bare walls, a desk with a scant few mementos. Harry, still with his armor on, had thrown long pants and a t-shirt over it. The sleeves of his armor were visible, a shiny dark green.

"Ready for your exam, then?" Sam asked.

"Yes, Captain."

"No need for that," he chuckled, "You're not and won't ever be military."

"Why is that?" Harry asked, confused.

"Having someone of your obviously high power available to us would make the other Leagues afraid we'd attack them or something along those lines, and our higher-ups prefer to maintain a relatively low profile on the Inter-League level. That's part of why I recommended you become a Tamer; you aren't under any military authority except in rare circumstances."

"And those circumstances are?"

"Class A Menace sightings, typically Widows."

"Ah."

"Yeah, we pull out all the stops to kill a Widow," he smirked. "Anyway, here's the test, there's your desk," he pointed to one side of the room, a plain desk facing a wall, " and you're off. Good luck!"

"Like I'll need luck," Harry snorted, sitting down to take the 'test'.

* * *

It only took him ten minutes to go through the multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank exam. It took another minute to double check his work. It took a third minute for Captain Strongarm to grade it.

"Congratulations, you've passed the basic Tamer's Exam. There's just a few more things we need to do to get you your license."

"And what might those things be?" Harry asked warily.

"A psychological evaluation, mostly for us to get your empathy rating. A blood test, to see if there's anything you've got that you need to be warned about. Hmm... that's it. Shouldn't take too long, and then you'll get your pokedex, starter voucher and that Hyperdoll that wants to follow you around."

"Err, right," Harry replied.

"Well, come along then," Strongarm urged, getting up out of his chair and pulling Harry up with him. Harry was led to a doctor's office – the chairs, bed, sterile implements everywhere. "You wait here – they'll take a sample of your blood momentarily, and then lead you to the psychological examination room."

"Right." Strongarm left the room and Harry sat on the not the least bit comfortable bed. He didn't have too long to wait, a gorgeous pink-haired woman wearing a nurse's outfit. _What's with the Pinkettes? Not that I'm complaining, Tonks was hot,_ he thought in a closed off corner of his mind.

"Hello Mr. Potter, my name is Jenna, and I'm here to take a quick sample of your blood," the Nurse Joy said warmly.

"Go right on ahead, Jenna, just make sure to destroy the sample immediately after your tests are complete."

"Certainly, Mr Potter," she replied, remembering her extremely short brief prior to entering the room. _"Agree to any easy requests. Agree to anything harder than easy with 'Certainly, but I'll need to check with my superiors."_ She shivered slightly as the reminder crossed her mind, the power she could feel in the air at odds with his kindness, but it supported the warning she'd received – _"Do nothing to piss him off!" _ "The psych should be in soon," she continued, flashing a brilliant smile at him – to cover up her own misgivings – swaying her hips as she left the room. Harry eyed them for a moment, understanding from his brief study that that was a Nurse Joy, the Healer Pokegirl, and that they tended to staff hospitals.

"It would be good to pick up a healer of some kind," Harry mused, "Seeing as my healing spells may or may not work, or I may or may not be conscious." He frowned, irritated that he had nothing to take notes with, and wishing to avoid the attention his overt use of magic would likely bring. A few moments later, someone else came in.

She was tall, an inch or two taller than Harry at 6' even, with deep red skin, a slender body, and gigantic breasts that looked like they had to be supported magically, else she would fall over. Two long black antennae stood out against her soft brown hair.

"Hello, my name is Shara, and I'll be your psychic evaluator today," the gorgeous Pokegirl told our hero.

"Hello Shara. Just what will you be doing during this psychic evaluation?"

"I'll be entering your mind, determining your mental stability and your empathy rating." She smiled. "I will not look at any memories I find in there."

Harry looked at her and snorted. As if she could find any memories in there anyway! "Hold on one moment, please," Harry said, sinking into his mind. When he spoke next, it was a little dreamy, a little disconnected from reality. "Okay, come on in, Shara."

She reached out with her mind to where his was, only to encounter a door. The door seemed to be set in nothingness. She tried to move sideways from the door, only to discover she couldn't move. "Hello?" She called out.

There was no answer. Shara refused to give in to her fear, however, and knocked on the door set in inky blackness. It opened, and Harry looked out.

"Ah! There you are, Shara. Please, come in!"

Shara was a little freaked. This was something she'd only heard whispers of from other Psychic-types, a fully developed mindscape in a human, and those humans had a lot of psychic-types in their ancestry. She had a mindscape, as an Alaka-Wham it was expected, but most psychic-types never fully developed their mindscapes, instead keeping shields up to keep the thoughts and minds of others out. She nervously stepped through the door, and gasped when she saw the inside.

His mind was a land unto itself. A forested valley greeted her view, guarded by high mountains. A river ran down from the mountains and down out from the valley.

"So, how do you like it?" Harry asked cheekily.

"It's beautiful," she replied. "How are you doing this?"

"With magic. One branch of magic deals entirely with the inner working of your own mind," he smiled at her.

She shook her head, shocked. "With something this detailed you're mentally stable. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. I don't want to know what could require you to develop such defenses." She slowly calmed herself down. "Now to figure out your empathy rating..."

"What will that take?"

"I'll just wander around."

"Okay, just let me know when you're done," Harry replied, knowing that she wouldn't find any of his defenses so long as she was true to her word. It was, however, good to know that there was an entire classification of pokegirls that had natural skills with occlumency and legillimency. Fortunately his mind was very well guarded; unfortunately he wouldn't be spilling secrets to anybody anytime soon.

About ten minutes – of mind time – passed before Shara approached the entrance.

"Well?" Harry asked.

"If I didn't already have a Tamer, I'd try to join your Harem in a heartbeat. Your empathy is _high._ _Every _'girl will want to stick to you on Sadie Pokens' Day." She flushed. It was barely discernible against her red skin, but Harry noticed.

It was how he'd stayed free of Britain, noticing the little things.

"Sadie Pokens' Who and what now?" He decided against asking the other question that popped into his head.

"Ah, I forget, you're not from around here. Sadie Pokens Day is when the Pokegirls get to choose their Tamer, and every Tamer there has a badge marking their Empathy rating. In addition, all of that Tamer's Pokegirl's have a chance to leave to choose another Tamer." She eyed him up and down critically. "Unless you do something monumentally stupid, you won't any 'girls wanting to leave."

"Ah, so it's like a Sadie Hawkins Dance, then?"

"A what?"

"Instead of the male asking the female to be his date to the dance, during a Sadie Hawkins Dance the female invites the male to be _her_ date to the dance."

"Hmm, a little bit like that, Mr Potter, but not completely. In truth, it varies from league to league. In some places Pokegirls are available as prizes for competitions." She wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I'd like to visit those places."

"Thanks. Shall we go?" Harry asked, gesturing to the door.

"See you soon, Mr. Potter," Shara replied as she stepped through the door. She turned back; the door was gone. There was no evidence that a mind was there at all. "Just like Sienna reported," she muttered, then pulled her mind back into her body.

"Well, Mr. Potter, that went excellently. It won't be too long before the Nurse is back with your blood-test results, and then you'll be sent to the front to finish up the paperwork and pick up a Pokedex." Shara said hurriedly, hoping to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Thank you, Shara. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Mr. Potter," She replied, and hurriedly left the room.

"That was a little strange," Harry murmured. "Wonder what she saw in my mind to act like that?" He sat there and pondered for a long moment. "Nope, not a clue."

As he was alone, he had to amuse himself with thoughts on the nature of how shitty most of humanity had it here.

Everything he'd read in his short study of this world told him that there was no way he'd be capable of changing it, not on his own and certainly not in the timeframe of his 'Vacation'. In addition, he _knew_ he would have trouble being discreet – apparently he _really_ should have either ran or stayed hidden, but, well, a Quest is a Quest, dammit. Plus, his actions probably saved the pinkette – a Hyperdoll – in the process. All to the good, really.

Then the door opened, and framed by it was a man in a lab-coat, clutching a pad of information. When Harry just looked at the guy, he said, "I have your blood-work right here, Mr. Potter, and I must say, it is quite extraordinary! I've never seen some of the stuff in there before."

"What do you mean, Doctor...?"

"Oh, yes, my name is Dr. Creed. Anyway, the important thing is that you have all the genetic markers for magic without any of the associated pokegirl genetic traces! This is astounding!"

"And how is this astounding?"

"It's possible to have magic without any pokegirl ancestors! The pure-bloods are going to freak! Not that the same definition applies today that it did two centuries ago, but still," he pushed his glasses up his nose, "You're going to be a major target if this is on your public record, so I'm arranging things – with the approval of the military, actually – to see to it that this isn't a problem." He hesitated, then asked, "By the way, what _can _you do with magic? And what is with that odd poison in your blood? It should be killing you, you know?"

Harry laughed. "Sorry, Doctor, but may I answer your questions?"

Dr. Creed gulped. "Certainly, Mr. Potter, and I'm sorry, but when I get curious I just can't stop!"

"That's alright, Doctor. First, both of my parents were capable of magic, and bothof _his_ parents were capable of magic, but _her_ parents were both non-magical. Could only barely interact with it, actually. Now, magic is limited by a few primary things. The first is power, the second is imagination, and the third is knowledge. There are other limits, the first and foremost of which is the inability to bring the dead back to life." Harry smiled sadly. He hadn't looked into it, for he knew it couldn't be done, unlike a number of other things the Wizarding world said was impossible. "As for the poison, well, it's neutralized – as long as it's in my body." He smiled wolfishly, "I wouldn't recommend separating it from the rest of my blood. Ever."

"Yes, well, we tried that, and it burned through the test tube we used and landed back into your blood, which we then destroyed, as per your wishes." Jeremy Creed shivered. The blood swallowing up the venom like it was nothing was extremely disturbing, almost as disturbing as watching the seperated poison _eat_ through the test tube, it was like this guy had Hyper Venom literally flowing through his veins, only kept in check by his body.

"So, Doctor, what is a 'pure-blood' here?"

The Doctor hesistated just a little at Harry's predatory tone. "There are two definitions for pure-blood, depending upon which League – and even which city – you're in at any given moment. Sometimes both definitions apply simultaneously, like here in the Sunshine League. The first definition is a human without _any_ pokegirl ancestry, such as yourself, and it is a tiny, diminishing percentage of the population." He paused, breathed in deeply, let it out. "The second definition of 'pure-blood' are those who's ancestors include mostly one, at most two, types of pokegirls. A person descended from a bunch of psychic-types is said to be a 'pure-blood psychic' or 'pure-strain psychic', etcetera."

"So the first group is probably comprised of bigoted arsewipes, and the second group of arrogant snobs."

"While I wouldn't put it that way myself, you are quite likely not far off the mark," the good doctor blinked. "Earlier you mentioned 'pure-bloods here. Did your world have pure bloods?"

Harry chocked back a laugh. "Yes, they claimed that their ancestry, which was made up of magical humans back generations, made them superior to those without such ancestors. They were almost completely wrong: a magical child of non-magical ancestry had just as much if not more raw potential than a magical child of magical ancestry. They were _right_ in the sense that they gained the knowledge of their ancestors, usually kept in a family 'Book of Shadows', which contained the Family Magic passed down through generations." Left unsaid was that his family's Book of Shadows was stolen by Dumbledore, and nobody helped him get it back when he learned of its loss. That was just one more nail in the coffin of Magical Britain as far as Harry was concerned.

"Anyway, Mr. Potter, here's your paperwork signifying your acceptance as a Tamer and the completion of both your blood-test, including the – ahem – falsehood about your ancestry, and your psychic evaluation results. It also allows you to acquire the standard set of Tamer's gear and a Voucher for a Starter Pokegirl from the nearby Pokegirl Ranch. I doubt I'll see you again, Mr. Potter, but it was nice meeting you!" Harry took the papers from the scientist.

"It was nice meeting you as well, Dr. Creed," Harry replied, perusing the stack of paper in front of him. It held exactly what the Doctor said it would, all the papers he needed to pick up his pokedex and starter voucher.

"Oh, and Mr. Potter, I believe Captain Strongarm wants a word with you," He said. "The Captain is in his office," Jeremy Creed then left the room, gently closed the door, and _raced_ back to his lab. Science was much easier to handle than other people, especially people as scary as Harry Potter.

"Okay then," Harry muttered, getting of the hospital bed and leaving the room.

* * *

Harry entered Captain Strongarms office once more, unescorted this time. "You asked to see me, Captain?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I did. I have here a form," he pointed to a sheet of paper, "that authorizes you to take care of the Hyperdoll you rescued, should you still desire to. If you do, pick up the form now, for we're leaving to the Pokecenter to pick up your Pokedex immediately, and from there I'll guide you to the Ranch nearby. The Hyperdoll is currently at the center."

Harry looked at the form, looked to the sky, and thought, _Fuck it, I might as well._ He picked up the form.

"Excellent choice, Mr. Potter, excellent choice!" It was an excellent choice because now Captain Strongarm wouldn't have to deal with the Hyperdoll himself. He stood up and they left the room.

* * *

The Captain was quiet on the way to the Pokecenter. Harry was fine with this, for the quiet allowed his thoughts to wander. He had no real idea what he was getting into. Sure, he'd read the study guide, he knew the history behind it, but that didn't truly prepare him for this whole 'Tamer' business.

The woman at the counter of the Pokecenter was another Nurse Joy. This particular specimen was quiet and withdrawn. She just looked at the paperwork, countersigned it, and handed Harry his shiny new Pokedex, complete with digital Starter voucher.

"Congratulations on becoming a Tamer, Mr. Potter," she said, turning back to watch her monitor screens.

As they walked away from that particular desk, heading towards another deeper inside the structure, Harry asked Strongarm, "What's with her?"

Strongarm looked back at the Pokegirl, "She's been hit with unusual magical effects in the past that in combination have rendered her sterile. Her sterility has dropped her sex drive to nonexistent and her personality to indifference."

"Life's a bitch, now isn't she?" Harry asked rhetorically.

He was answered anyway, "Yes, she is."

_"I heard that! Damn Champion, anyway," _Life complained in Harry's mind.

_ "Well you are, now aren't you, lover?" _Death asked.

_"Quiet, you!"_

Harry smirked. It was nice to know that he'd never be alone.

"So now that you've got your pokedex, I can give you the reward for the Widow."

"Okay, what do I need to do?" Harry was surprised. He knew he'd already been rewarded by Death, what was this about – oh, wait, he remembered now. The 'pokedex' that had mentioned the Widow the day previous mentioned something about a 900,000,000 SLC reward for killing one. While that might be a good way to make money, Harry was more interested in keeping a low profile.

Unfortunately, the Nurse Joy at the desk overheard that statement before they rounded the corner and got out of her hearing range. Fortunately, she didn't seem to give a damn, her eyes didn't even flicker. Somoething else on her registered the statement and sent it out. She never knew it was there, and wouldn't have cared if she had known.

"Well, I just push a couple of buttons," which he did, "And now you need to press 'accept' whenever the reward shows up." They stopped in the hallway, allowing them to complete their transaction away from prying eyes – and in a spot that Captain Strongarm new was void of cameras _and_ microphones.

"Okay," Harry replied. "They've just started producing tablet computers where I'm from. Those aren't anywhere near as smart as these, though." He waited another moment, then the screen displayed the 'Accept Reward?' button. The number shocked him, "Nine hundred million SLC? Just how much is that, anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do typical things _cost_? How much is the money actually _worth_? If it costs 50,000 'SLC' to buy a typical meal for one person nine hundred million isn't worth as much as it sounds like."

Captain Strongarm gave himself a mental headshake. Just how knowledgeable was this guy, anyway? "Your basic healing potion, typically called a 'pokegirl medication' or 'p-med' costs two hundred SLC. A day's worth of nutritional requirements for a pokegirl is around 300 SLC, while the pokedex you were just given – which is _always_ free to a new Tamer – costs around 75,000 SLC. A meal for a single person at a typical restaurant?" He pondered, "I'd say between 50 and 100 SLC, which matches up with the typical cost of a day's worth of pokechow."

Harry mentally added another question to his list before replying, "So it's a lot. Not quite an insane amount of money, but a lot."

"Aye, you husband that money right and it'll last you a lifetime."

Harry snorted in reply, "Perhaps a normal lifetime. I have it on _very_ good authority that I'm not slated to end anytime soon."

The Stockton Legion's sole human captain blinked in reply, mentally upped the potential threat level of this particular dimensional traveler by a factor of ten, and decided to be insane. If he lived through it he'd call it bravery.

"Very good authority?" he asked, his voice neutral.

"The highest," Harry replied smugly.

Samuel decided to risk it, "Is this authority how you managed to cast that overwhelmingly black beam? Our mages could only tell that it was steeped with Death."

Harry, well, _giggled_. "You sure are insistent on this, now aren't you?"

Strongarm replied with, "It's a matter of League security; yes, my superiors are insistent on figuring out how you cast it."

"Well, you don't have anything to worry about, I won't have the reserves to cast that spell again for about a month, and casting it the first place wiped me out completely, no matter that I caught the leftover energy after it slammed through that Widow's armor. The sword I summoned up would have done the trick instead, but the damn thing faded somewhat out of reality. I have no desire to go looking for any fights like that. If they come upon me I will fight, but if they don't come for me I won't."

A brief moment of silence later, the Captain – who was now certain he'd be picking up a medal of bravery for this – asked, "So, fighting a Widow right after arriving here, huh? How typical is that for your life?"

"Oh, that sort of crazy is pretty typical. 'That Potter Luck,' my friends used to call it," _Back when I had friends, _Harry thought.

"Ha, I think we'll put you down as having the 'interesting times' blood-curse."

"Interesting Times?" Harry asked neutrally. He'd look up blood-curse later.

"Hmm, yes. It means that you will frequently be at the center of events wherever you are. If you're in an area? Expect something odd to happen. Keeping on the move should tone that down."

"Ha, sounds about right."

"Have you hit accept yet?"

"Hmm?" Harry replied. "Oh, yes, one moment," A tap later, and, "Done, Captain. Anything else you need me to do?"

"Not at this time, Mr. Potter."

"Good, lets get this done."

Captain Strongarm guided Harry to a place hidden inside the Pokecenter – the Pokegirl Psych ward.

"We're here for the Hyperdoll, right?"

"Yes, that particular Pokegirl breed tends to go a little insane without a Tamer, and since they've got a lot of power, it needs to be at least watched."

"And I agreed to be her Tamer. Well, my life is always interesting."

"Here we are, Mr. Potter, the front desk of the psych ward. I'll leave you to it, shall I?" he said, turned, and left. He had to finish compiling several reports, after all, including the ones about the experiment with humans in leadership positions in the Stockton Legion. That and Mr Potter scared the fucking shit out of him. He really wished he hadn't asked that question, he didn't like knowing the answer. At all. In fact, he might be capable of arranging for his mind to 'lose' the answers after he finished his report.

There was a Ka-D-Bra on duty at the desk. She blinked at the black haired, green-eyed sex god that appeared in front of her – she hadn't sensed him at all! - and said, "Hello, how may I help you?"

"I have the paperwork here to take over as the Hyperdoll Betsy's Tamer, Miss...?"

"Jennifer, Mr. Potter." she blushed after reading his name on the paperwork, her orange skin darkening. "I'll take you right to her." She stood up, stepped around the desk, and began to lead him to the room the Hyperdoll was secluded in. "She is grieving at the moment."

"Why?"

"Something Hyperdoll's usually do when their Tamer dies, no matter how much of an – ahem. No matter what their Tamer was like."

Harry smiled slyly at her, "No matter how much of a git the man was to her, which he must surely have been to get her to become a Hyperdoll."

"Exactly. Bartholomew Blunderghast was not well liked around here, and neither is his extended family." She paused, thinking, her antennae waving a bit. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they come after you, probably for no reason at all."

"And by 'come after me' you mean what, exactly?" Harry had a pretty good idea already, but better safe than sorry.

"Oh, they'll do their best to take your pokegirls from you. Legally, of course; that family must play scrupulously within the rules. They have far too many black marks against them to do otherwise, no matter how corrupt the SLIS may or may not be. They'll simply do everything they can to challenge you to salvage battles as often as possible."

"So," Harry said, "I'll have a steady stream of resources coming in from that bunch of idiots challenging me constantly, because the only way they will be capable of taking my pokegirls away from me is by legally challenging me, which means recording the duel and/or having a League referee in the area."

"Got it in one, Mr. Potter!" Jennifer beamed.

"So it's to my advantage, then? This is really weird, almost like I'm in some story or some game." He paused. "Nah, not possible. My life has been plenty strange so far, that this is actually rather mild."

The pair of them finished their walk in silence. "She's right in here, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you for your time, Jennifer."

"I may or may not be at the front desk when you leave, Mr. Potter," she smiled and walked away.

Harry breathed in, then out. He had no idea what was going to happen in there, no idea at all.

* * *

**Author's End Notes + Direct Review Responses**

**Kira09**: Answered most of those questions? Excellent. Okay, Blade-Bunnies are _not_ a restricted 'girl according to the latest pokegirls . org pokedex:  
pokegirls storyboard-listing / pokedex / 910-blade-bunny-aka-wabbit- , -the-death-lepus-pok%C3%A9girl . html (remove the spaces!) I imagine, if capturing an Alpha is possible, that an _Alpha_ Blade Bunny would definitely require a license.

For my opinion on subtypes: i don't want any spoilers, so I'm not going to say a damn thing here. Which should say it all, really.

**Zamin: **These days everything appears to be a cliche. He's supposed to be overpowered on the _Pokegirl_ World, and that's only as far as _pokegirls_ go. There are _other_ things, left over from before magic mostly disappeared from the world, that Harry will eventually need to deal with. Second, he's on vacation. That doesn't mean that he's going to have it impossibly easy, but he's also got to learn to work with others and trust others again (more on this later in the story). Third, he will eventually face off with hostile 'Forces Beyond Reckoning', just not in Book One.

**The Eternal Wanderer:** That _would_ spoil the surprise, yes. It would also potentially set me into a single path, which I don't want to have happen.

**basa93:** Thanks for pointing that out. Gods, how embarrassing!

Thank you **geetac**, **GhostWagon**, **FenrirCrinos,** and **darkplayer35** for taking the time to review!

Thanks to all you who favorited and/or followed my work!


	3. Chapter 3 Meetings and Preparations

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter, JKR and associated companies do. I also don't own Pokegirls, though I don't think anybody does(?).

**A/N**:

Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! I'm still ecstatic at the interest my tale has received!

The Pokegirls resource website links are all up on my Profile! Check those out!

I have no beta. I do the best I can on my own. If you spot anything you think is an error, please PM me or leave a review to let me know.

Once again, no violence. A lot of new information, however! There will be next chapter, though - I paint myself into a corner on that count. Perhaps the pace will pick up, too, but no promises!

Chapter First Posted: 06/20/2014, ~8500 words prior to A/N's.  
Chapter Updated: Minor Mistakes fixed: 08/16/2014, thanks goku90504!

Chapter Three: Meetings and Preparations

_One Day Earlier – or – The Day the Widow Died_

Betsy was relaxing in her Pokeball. She had long, long ago learned how to completely tune out the brainwashing the cheapest Pokeballs have. Retaining complete control of her thoughts was necessary, for a Hunter-type had damn well better remain in control of her own thoughts and be capable of protecting her secrets. It was not something she'd had to deal with during the War, or for a long while after it. Pokeballs, yes, she was used to pokeballs. It was the mental conditioning and brainwashing cycles of the later human produced pokeballs that she had to deal with.

During the Revenge War, pokeballs had been the easiest and most effective way to deploy her, especially in the years immediately after she was decanted, for there were no human allied 'girls to know what a pokeball even was. Her stealth skills frequently got her out of a tight spot, but rarely could they get her in without a lot of additional support. Ingenues and other 'girls would smuggle her into a strongpoint or city and she would eliminate her target, cause chaos, and get out. Nobody suspected her when somebody died, whether the newly dead was a pokegirl – even one of the _generals_ – or a human.

Even today nobody knew her true nature, but she'd been cast adrift. No one to truly look out for her or give her what she longed for – the thrill of a genuine hunt, a real purpose, something to live for, instead of simply exist. Ever since she'd first been caught by a Tamer her life had become less than pleasant. Nobody expected a Bimbo to really be capable of anything, so she acted typical for the breed and only broke character briefly, during those moments when it was better to get something done than stick around and die when her latest Tamer got into a stupid trap. She also made certain to down play her physical toughness in any combat situation, thus ensuring she was rarely – if ever – put into them. At least with a Tamer she got laid steadily, all she had to do was pretend to be all bubbly and sexy. Except with this latest guy. He – Bartholomew Bluderghast – was a pig. He'd defeated her previous owner in a Salvage Battle, and Bartholomew had chosen 'the only pretty slut of the sorry bunch'.

Then the abuse started. It came out of the blue, a complete surprise. She knew to only show skill during sex, so that's what she had done. It's also what she figured this fat man would have her doing, sex with him or on the Sex Battle circuits in the Sunshine League. The first she would have endured, the second she may actually have enjoyed. What actually happened, however, she outright hated. When she showed that she wasn't anything in combat – which took _a day – _he turned on her. Thrown into battles she couldn't win without breaking her cover – she had no reason to do that, she hadn't previously so why break her excellent streak? – that her Master couldn't lose, tamed far too rarely, she ended up evolving into a Hyperdoll, a position she had hoped to never be in. Now that she was in it? She hoped for a Tamer who could redeem her, for someone who could give her a sense of purpose and worth again, but not someone who just wished to use her, oh no, she wanted someone who wanted her for her. It was a silly dream, she knew that, but she couldn't help but hope. Even after three centuries.

Then she was called out, along with the rest of the crew. She stretched next to _him_, posing for nobody, because nobody was looking – wait, someone was looking.

"Slut! I said go look for whatever killed Wild-Thing!" _he_ snarled.

"Why should I care, _Master?_" She mocked. "It makes no difference to me." It really didn't, what did it concern her that another of her _master's_ pokegirls died? He'd just spend his family's money to buy another. What concerned her was busy tickling on the ragged edge of her enhanced senses. Two somethings were out there, both of them lethally dangerous, probably more dangerous than she was.

Some time passed, and she just stood around looking pretty. Why bother helping? Either of the two beings she'd sensed could slaughter them at any time, there was no real reason to prepare anything.

And then Storm, _Master_'s Thundrix, screamed out a warning, "Master! WIDOW! _RUN_!" Betsy paled. They were all dead, for if that something was the Widow than the _other_ being was appreciably _stronger._ She tuned out the pokedex her master fumbled with, only giggling when one of the lights lit up. They were going to be filmed as they all died! How quaint. Perhaps others would learn a lesson or two from this.

Completely panicked but with no urge to try anything, she stood where she was when her master spoke, only really reacting when she was knocked away from her tamer and into the nearby hillside. _Ouch_, was her thought before unconsciousness briefly took her.

When she came to mere moments later, she moaned. She knew her master was dead, but there was nothing she could do to rectify the fact that his killer was still alive, even if she showed what she truly was, even though she still loathed him. The moan triggered the Widow's movement, and she was knocked unconscious once more.

When she awoke again, it was to the inside of a pokeball. She felt her master's loss, as she'd known she would, but it didn't sting as hard as she'd figured. In fact, it stung far _less_ than the deaths of several of her previous tamers. _Fantastic, something more to fake_. There were a large number of broken bones and bruises, most likely from that Widow knocking her around like she was a ball as opposed to a pokegirl.

_What the hell_, Betsy figured_, I might as well get some sleep_.

* * *

_Evening, Same Day_

Betsy looked a fright. Her bones and bruises were healed, but she'd been placed into the psych ward after hearing that someone had managed to kill the Widow who killed her Tamer one on one, and that that someone had been there _before_ her tamer died. She knew she should be outraged that this stranger hadn't saved her tamer, so that's what she acted like. Thus, her appearance.

She wasn't upset about any of those deaths. She didn't even regret the death of the Alpha, who had been kind to her on occasion, or the death of the still naïve Wild-Thing, who hadn't known what she was. She was pleased. Perhaps now she'd have a shot with a good tamer! She went to sleep in the psych ward with a smile on her face, knowing that tomorrow she'd be heading for the military HQ for the debriefing typical after a Menace attack

And hopefully, the start of something _new_. A Case Twelve, landing practically right in front of her! She'd only ever heard of such people!

* * *

_Morning the Next Day_

Storm was being a nuisance. She wanted to know _why_ Betsy wanted to have the Stranger as her Tamer, why she _knew_ the stranger would become a Tamer, and on and on and on and gods, it just got on her nerves. Hell, Storm somehow arranged for their entire conversation to be in front of the door where the Stranger was resting. _Resting, sure he is,_ she snorted mentally. Apparently they couldn't get his armor off and any check they tried to do through the armor failed, so they'd just left it on and let him be. _'Breed Typical,' ha, it took you this long to notice I haven't been acting quite the way all prior experience with my Breed says I should be acting?_

Oops, he was awake, how much did he hear? Wait, it's a good thing he overheard. Case Twelve's are generally ignorant of local conditions and circumstances, after all. And it looks like that Captain Strongarm fellow agrees with her analysis.

_Damn, back to the cell in the Psych Ward for me. Fun,_ she thought. _I hope he picks me up soon, I really do._ She ruthlessly shunted aside the possibility that he _wouldn't_ become a Tamer, that he _wouldn't_ choose to take her with him, no matter that she was a Hyperdoll and that by all rights nobody should want to go _near_ her.

* * *

Betsy was nervous, sitting in her room in the PokeCenter Psych Ward It had been at least an hour since she'd left the Military Headquarters for Titfield Valley, more likely several hours – she hadn't bothered to check or ask – and nobody had shown up. _I never cared so much before, why does it matter now? Why does anything matter now?_

Someone knocked on the door. Betsy froze. A moment later, she heard a knocking again, followed by a "Hello? I'm told this is the room of the Hyperdoll named Betsy?"

"H-hello? Who is it?" Damn, she wished she hadn't stuttered.

"I'm Harry Potter and I've got a form here about bringing you into my, Harem? Is that the right word?" he asked.

"Y-yes, that's the right word." She was confidant now, pleased. Everybody on this Earth knew what a Harem was; only someone from some _other_ Earth – or world – wouldn't know. "Come right on in!" She grabbed the sheet on the bed and wrapped it around herself. _Why did I strip when I came back in here?_

The door opened and her breath caught in her throat. _This_ was the _other_ presence she had felt the previous day, just before the Widow struck. He had _power_. Then she looked at his body. _Hot_. _He's so _hot_. I _want_ that. Fuck._ Flashing green eyes, messy black hair, a muscular body not hidden at all beneath the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing. The full-body black-green underwear – or maybe it was just an undershirt? – emphasized what musculature she could see. Not a bodybuilders body, no; more along the lines of a swimmer.

He was equally lost looking at her. She giggled at him, and watched as his eyes followed the soft bouncing of her breasts under the sheet. He shook it off a moment later, looked her in the eyes, and smiled.

"Hello Betsy, my name is Harry Potter, and I'm wondering why you want to come with me on a, ah, Tamer's Journey? Yes, on my Tamer's Journey." He rolled his eyes; she missed it.

She gulped, surprised at his question. _Manners first, Betsy. _"Before we get started, please sit down." She gestured to the only chair in the room and sat on the bed; Harry sat on the chair. "I don't want to be stuck here, waiting for some high-and-mighty 'Redemptionist' Tamer to come along and pick me up as a charity case. While I'm certain they mean well, I don't want to have to deal with one as my Tamer! Come to think of it, I really don't want to be with one of the Tamers from around here either, I've been doing that for a lot longer than you've been alive and I assure you, it has not been the least bit interesting, especially since I was a Bimbo at the time, and never really had a chance to do much other than fuck whomever my Tamer at the time was. Sure, that managed to keep me from going Feral, but that's all it did. I want a deeper relationship than that. I want a chance to build something lasting with someone; I also want to evolve into a Redeemer. I believe," she swallowed, "I believe I have the best chance of accomplishing both with you."

"Okay, those sound like excellent reasons. Now, what do I get out of allowing you to come with me?" She started to smile, and he smirked, "Other than the obvious, please."

She pouted. He managed – just barely! – to hold his metaphorical ground in the face of it. With a sigh, she spoke, "You get a rather powerful pokegirl that _nobody _else is going to want, which should reduce the number of challenges you get. In addition, other than the obvious, I am more experienced and knowledgeable than I look."

"Yes," Harry replied dryly, "you gave a rather good analysis earlier this morning outside of my room." She winced in remembrance. "Now for something you didn't think of – I need to learn how to walk the walk and talk the talk, how to blend in, and how to get by. I have learned that I'm supposed to let you, and any other Pokegirls that enter my 'Harem' – I still need to used to term with that – fight _for_ me, rather than fighting for myself." He shook his head. "That last bit is going to be the hardest part for me – I'm used to protecting myself and those around me, not having others protect me."

She stared at him. "You? Blend in? I'm sure you'll manage that. Eventually. Perhaps in a century or so, if you're capable of living that long."

He snorted, "You'd probably be surprised. But that's not what this is about. Are you willing to put up with me, a tyro in this world? I'll more than likely – completely on accident and utterly unplanned – lead us into life-or-death situations," he then grinned widely, "completely aside from the times when the life-or-death situations _are_ planned."

She smiled at him, "I'm quite sure I can manage to put up with you, Master." He winced. "What is it?"

With a sigh, he explained, "I don't like the connotations of that word. I know it's the accepted phrase here, however, so I'll just have to get used to it." He didn't say more on that, but Betsy knew that he was hiding an old wound of some kind.

"Okay, Harry, I'll call you 'Master' in public, and only in public." She smirked. "Now, can we get to the, ah, _obvious_, Ma – Harry? Please?" Uh-oh, she was pouting again, and oh, Powers, she was _hot_.

"You really want this, don't you, Betsy?" Harry replied, allowing his voice to become low and husky with desire as he set his controls aside.

"I'm getting too close to _needing _a taming to fend off ferality, Ma-Harry." She blushed lightly, but the fear in her eyes fought with the lust. "If you hadn't came along I probably would have held my former tamer down and practically raped him. I'm not exactly proud of it, but it is something Hyperdolls are known to do." Her eyes were wide as they looked into his.

"Shh, it's okay, Betsy," he said from his position sitting in the lone chair in the room. "You won't need to worry about me being unwilling anytime soon. In fact, I do believe we _can_ get to the obvious now." His wicked grin was her only warning as she was tackled to the bed, a squeak erupting from her before his lips fastened to hers. She allowed his hands to pin her arms over her head and embraced the sensations he was giving her.

* * *

Several hours later, Harry lay basking in the afterglow of fantastic sex, Betsy held loosely in his arms. _That felt really good_, Harry thought. _It's been several years, but none of those one night stands were as good as Betsy is. Mmm._

The knock on the door threw a wrench in Harry's plans to continue holding Betsy to him. "What is it?" he called out, waking the 'girl he was holding.

"It's Captain Strongarm, Mr. Potter. I've got the Hyperdoll's Pokeball. You're going to want to add the encrypted digital signature to your Pokedex." It took Harry a moment to remember just what he was talking about – a pokeball was keyed to a single pokegirl, and no other pokegirl could enter it. Adding the digital signature to his Pokedex would allow for the pokeball to be tracked if it wasn't in his possession. Eventually, his thoughts reached a point that seemed off.

"Hmm... so why do I have a Captain as a guide?"

"To be completely blunt, Mr. Potter, the League is willing to do a whole hell of a lot to stay on your good side," _and because I've already interacted with you, _I_ get the damn job,_ he thought.

Harry grunted, hissed to his lover, "Later, beautiful, later!" in reply to her wandering fingers and wanton lips.

Strongarm heard this, sighed, and asked, "May I come in, Mr Potter? I really need to finish this up so I can complete the report that my general is going to have to present to the Sunshine League Council."

Harry looked a question at Betsy. A moment later, after parsing what he was asking, she softly replied, "Yeah, it's accepted, to an extent. In fact, it's expected that a Tamer and a 'girl in a room together are going to be 'indecent'."

"Come on in, Captain," Harry said.

The Captain turned the knob on the door, entered, and flicked on the lightswitch. The scent of sex slammed into him, just after the position the mage and his pokegirl were in clued him in. "Phew! You sure look – and smell – like you had a damn good time, Mr. Potter. Go ahead and wrap the sheet around yourself and sit upright. This should be over soon."

Harry sat up on the bed and tucked the sheet around his lower body, Betsy huddled behind him. His scars were on display.

Captain Strongarm noticed and asked, "Looks like you've seen a lot of combat, then?" as he flicked on his Pokedex.

Harry grabbed his from the bedside table and nodded, "I've spent most of my life fighting. Here I can finally take a vacation." His body rippled as he moved. It screamed _predator!_ to the veteran Captain. "So, what do I need to do?"

Captain Strongarm tossed Harry the pokeball. "This has been unregistered from its previous owner, all you need to do to register it as yours is scan it with your pokedex." The soldier grimaced, "With the previous owner dead, it's really quite easy to arrange, especially as you filled out all the other paperwork already. Just hand what you've got to the 'girl at the entry to the Psych Ward on your way out." _Bloody bureaucrats and their paperwork_, he thought.

Once Harry registered Betsy and her pokeball as his, he asked, "Anything else I can do for you, Captain?"

"Yes, why are you here really?"

He smiled, "I'm currently taking an enforced vacation. My employers wouldn't take 'no' or 'can I think about this' for an answer. As I've been working for the past twenty years without a solid break prior to entering their employ, I do believe that their idea is an excellent one."

"Well, Mr. Potter, I hope you have an excellent vacation from here on out. If anything comes up I'll be sure to let you know, and if anything comes up on _your _end, go ahead and get into contact with me," the career soldier turned and left the room in less of a hurry and panic compared to just that morning. Harry was an affable fellow, really, just a little confused and in a world so much like yet oh so very different from his old one. For all his power he seemed to know the advantages of blending into the local culture, and the way he interacted with the Hyperdoll – who was acting much differently than he had expected, something to think about – showed that he was likely a decent human being, too, unlike many of the humans in this world.

* * *

When Harry and Betsy left her room in the Psych Ward soon after the soldier left, it was just about one in the afternoon. There was somebody else running the counter at the entrance to the Ward, but she looked human. All she did was take the completed forms and wave them out, utterly engrossed in the computer in front of her.

That done, they went up to the normal part of the Pokecenter. Harry surveyed the line of humans and what he assumed were pokegirls waiting to speak to the Nurse Joy at the desk. He assumed they were pokegirls because of their stances – generally protective of their 'tamers' – and because of the sheer variety of non-human features on display: fox ears and tail to fully furred 'girls with cat like features to moving statues, tiny little faeries, wolves in a humanoid form, great birds, and and and it was all too much for him to handle at just that instant.

Perhaps if they left the Pokecenter to get something to eat things would work out.

As they exited the Center, Harry asked, "Betsy, do you know of anywhere to eat around here?"

"Sorry, Master, I do not."

"It's alright," he replied brightly, "That just means we can wander around until we find something that looks good," and maybe get Harry acclimated to the sheer variety of people here.

* * *

They had, indeed, eventually found a place. The prices were exactly as his occasional military escort, guide, and watcher had believed they were – about 80 SLC for each of them for a fairly good meal. He did not bother scanning anthing in sight with his pokedex – he figured he would simply look it all up that evening, but then he saw something odd that caught his eye. A short, dapper man, dressed in casual clothing that he seemed uncomfortable wearing, was escorted around by a cluster of 'girls. This in and of itself wasn't the part that caught his attention – a lot of people kept several of their 'girls out at all times. No, the part that surprised him was how similar they all were. Every one of the – six, he counted – 'girls wore exactly the same clothing, just like a uniform. Identical plain, clearly non-magical swords peeked out over shoulders covered by identical blue jackets. The biggest differences were in their hair – a veritable rainbow of colors, though two of them were blondes. Harry didn't get a good look at them before he pulled out his pokedex and started scrolling through the entry list, searching for the 'girls he'd seen.

He was wrong about the plurality, there was just the one 'girl. A 'Doppeldame' to be precise, the 'Harem in One' pokegirl. The description and list of what it could do surprised, excited, and scared him all at once. One girl with between two and five identical duplicates, or doppelgangers, that all know what each of the others know, that they have a hundred cubic feet hiding away in a subspace pocket that can be used to store weapons and armor for any given situation. Apparently the wildly different hair colors on this particular Doppeldame were extremely unusual – most Doppeldames had duplicates that looked remarkably like the main 'girl in question.

"I want one of these," Harry murmured, slowly adapting – in bits and pieces – to the culture typical of the Leagues.

"Hmm?" Betsy looked up at him from her KATTLE sandwich. He showed her the description of the 'girl on his pokedex. "Oh, one of those." She shrugged at him.

"No opinion, luv?"

"It's entirely your decision, Master," she replied neutrally. "I am new to this situation. Previous Tamers have all already had a decent Harem – I was usually placed into a non-combatant slot, if the Tamer had one."

Harry sighed, "I'm new to all this too, remember? You are currently my local guide, regardless of what the League or the Legion attempts. _You_ requested to accompany me, not the League. Sure, they suggested it rather strongly, but it was _your_ request that started them off. If _you_ hadn't requested to accompany me, I would be completely alone at the moment, not completely sure of who I could trust." Betsy dropped her sandwich in shock. First was that he was saying anything at all, second was that he was saying all this in a public environment, where _anybody_ could hear them. "Oh, don't worry about it. I threw up a couple of silencing spells, we can speak as we wish and those around us hear won't what we're saying."

She was thrown for another loop at that, but managed to get herself under control. She hadn't hid herself for three centuries without learning some control, but some things would throw anybody off for at least a little bit. "I'm sorry, Harry. I don't really know anything about you, really, other than that you're not from this Earth and you're incredibly powerful magically."

"Well," he smiled, "I think that after we buy supplies we head back to the Pokecenter so we can fix that little problem," she smiled back.

A short distance away, the Alaka-Wham attempting to eavesdrop failed for the simple reason that the Hyperdoll has the Hunter 'template' and is therefore a Dark-type Pokegirl. She did manage to lip read her two marks, however, and shuddered a little at how sugary sweet the Tamer was treating his Hyperdoll, and how she responded. They were obviously a recently matched pair and he was clearly going out of his way to show her he was different. She knew her superiors would have to learn of this. The Pleiades Group had an interest in those traversing between worlds, if only to check out their genes for anything that may be useful.

* * *

The rest of the day came and went. As it was not quite summer, the sun set late in the day, and Harry and Betsy had been out for most of it, looking around for gear. Harry had decided against purchasing any Pokegirls for the time being. Sure he could do so easily, but that wasn't the point. He had no desire to integrate a complete unknown into his life at this time. _Especially_ into his sex life, which had suddenly become awesome after a dry spell – the British witches and wizards basically acting to cock-block him whenever he was with someone who _wasn't_ a British pure-blood witch.

As Harry's preferences ran counter to the whole 'inbred idiot' thing the British pure-bloods generally had going for them, his sex life had been nonexistent for the past several years.

Anyway, their shopping. Since Harry wasn't in the market for new pokegirls – currently – and most of the traveling gear he could possibly need was stored in his trunks, although Betsy had no way of knowing that, he was mostly just window shopping.

That PPHU, or Portable Pokegirl Healing Unit, screamed 'Necessary!' to him. He purchased that on the spot the instant he saw what it did, which was take a single pokegirl in her pokeball and do the exact same type of healing that is normally only available at a Pokecenter. With one of these, Harry could extend his time in the wilds dramatically. The Pokepack was intriguing, so he snapped that up, and if he was to have any hope of fitting in he absolutely had to have pokeballs, so he purchased a bunch.

Betsy just followed him around, pleased to be out of her pokeball for such a long time at a stretch during the day with someone who seemed to care for her. She'd been allowed outside of her pokeball previously in cities and towns, sure, but none of her previous Tamers were quite like Harry. He didn't even seem to know that Pokeballing her was an option, if not – in some places – the _only_ option. She kept her eyes open in an attempt to spot anything potentially hostile, but she was three centuries out of practice. There were two pokegirls tailing them, but they both appeared to belong to the Stockton Legion, which had so far proven it was friendly.

The only issue she had with him so far was his tendency to hold her hand in one of his. That wouldn't do at all, not when she needed two hands free to defend him. At least, it wouldn't do until he got other pokegirls to help her protect him. It was as he had said earlier, he _needed_ to blend in with the locals, and that meant picking up sisters for her! She would speak with him later.

* * *

_That evening, Council Meeting Chamber, New Vegas_

"This report was written and compiled by Captain Samuel Strongarm of the Stockton Legion," the 'girl began.

"Oh, you mean that human Captain we forced you to take on? How's he working out, anyway?" a snide voice asked.

The Legion's Representative, a Coyotits, smirked. "He managed the scene where that Widow appeared and dealt with the aftermath. I'd say he's working out very well and is keeping to the Legion's Code." She bared her teeth at the speaker, a representative of the Wolcott Family, and continued, "Sections of the report were also written by the Alaka-Wham Shara – a registered Psychic Evaluator – and Dr. Jeremy Creed, MD and Geneticist. I have here copies of the report for your perusal," at which point she nodded to her attache, who passed out said copies to the other members of the Council, "and shall hit the highlights _right now_.

"Firstly, the Widow seemed to appear out of thin air yesterday morning, practically right on top of the location of the Case Twelve known as Harry Potter and Tamer Bartholomew Blunderghast, a man belonging to a family known to have more money than sense. From what Bartholomew's Pokedex tells us, he issued a challenge to a 'Tamer' who had no pokegirls and was dressed much like Harry Potter was dressed. When Harry used some unknown magic to completely disappear, the Widow appeared, killed the Pri-Mate named 'Wild-Thing'," she wrinkled her nose in distaste, "and disappeared again. Soon after, his Thundrix Storm called out the Widow. Bartholomew had no idea what it was – no, according to genetic analysis he did _not_ have the Insanely High Stupidity blood-curse, he was just that stupid – so his 'dex told him. It also began recording, from which we received this." She stopped there and keyed a button. A projection shot up out of the table, visible to all present. They leaned forward to get a better view.

The Representative – she insisted on going by that title – began narrating. "Subject 'A', now known to be a Case Twelve, is shown assaulting the Widow in this image. All we now about what he is doing during this segment is that he is using magic. That's _it_. The spontaneous generation of walls and a clearly unique teleportation technique combined with magic that has unique and unusual effects." With that the projection shifted and began showing the aftermath.

"Captain Strongarm's Pokedex captured these images as he, along with his task force, followed the signs of fighting. As you can see, it was hard fought."

"Excuse me," the Sage asked, "is that a patch of Hyper Venom?"

"That spot turning the ground into a slurry right there? Yes, it is."

"That hole over there looks like a Hyperbeam hit..." a voice mused.

"According to analysis, _that_ perfectly round hole carved into a hillside was caused by a Hyperbeam. This hole, however," she caused the projection to focus on another location, "was _not_ caused by a hyperbeam. The residue is completely different. The closest we can get, in comparison, is that someone shot off a Disintegrate spell.

"_That _bit of knowledge was pulled from an ancient text called, _Dungeons and Dragons Players Manual, 3__rd__ Edition._ It's believed to have been a part of a game teenagers and young adults used to play."

"So this guy can cast spells from a game?"

"No, just that that is the closest we could get to whatever it is he _actually_ cast. Just wait, it gets somewhat worse." The projection continued at that point, up until it reached the point where the Widow and the Case Twelve were fighting, with missed spells creating debris that Harry promptly took advantage of. "Here we get an excellent look at just how _good_ this guy is. Here he's attempting to do two things at once, damage his opponent and provide himself with raw material. That's the mark of a skilled spellcaster. Then, he proves himself to be a fearsome combatant in melee range. While Widows are not known for their weapon skills, they are far faster than just about every other pokegirl we know of." The scene continued, showing how Harry _dueled_ the Widow with _swords._ "According to the Sorceress we had analyzing the area soon after Mr Potter was evacuated, he was utilizing his magic to increase his own strength and speed up to match his opponent."

Susurrating murmurs and exclamations of surprise were the order of the day. The Representative paused the projection to let them all calm down.

"This is the part that scared everybody present. Mr Potter appears to be doing nothing in the face of a Hyperbeam, but his hands are blurring – the Sorceress who analyzed them afterwords called them 'Runes' designed to invoke powers 'Beyond Human Ken'. From this we see a black bolt strike a white bolt – looks remarkably like two Sayjin throwing Chi Cannons at each other," she smiled. Nobody else in the room did. She allowed the rest of the projection to finish in silence.

"This is the _start_ of the report. Please grab a drink and come back in, we'll be at this for a while."

"How much information can be gathered in a day?"

"A lot, if you know exactly how to ask." the Representative grimaced. She hadn't wanted to know, either. Damn Strongarm for putting _that_ into the report!

* * *

_After the Council meeting_

The Sage who attended the Council meeting pulled her shroud off as soon as she teleported to her sanctum. She tapped a single button on the computer in there and sat back to await a virtual conference with two other people she had a close relationship with, Archchancellor Isoku Running Star of Nuevo Tenochtitlàn University, and Admiral MacMillian of the Sunshine League Navy.

"Good evening, Granny. How did the meeting go?" MacMillian asked.

"Security there is far too easy to penetrate. I ended up throwing up an extra set of wards before a minute passed," the ancient Witch replied.

"That good, Granny?" Running Star replied.

She snorted, "I suppose you could call it 'good'. That source of that huge pulse of magic that scared everything on the planet has been identified. It was the entrance of a new Case Twelve, Harry Potter, into our world."

"Another one? What's this guy's intentions?" The Admiral asked, all military worry for a moment.

"Apparently he's here on Vacation, one enforced by his new 'employers' immediately after he entered their service."

"So how did the rest of the briefing go?"

Granny sighed, "This guy has a scary amount of magical power, control, and ability. All of his gear is heavily enchanted, his armor is made of _real_ basilisk hide, not Pokegirl Basilisk hide. His blood is extremely acidic and would likely kill anybody during a transfusion. His mind is an invisible, impenetrable fortress, one that cannot be found if he does not wish it to be. Inside, his mind-scape is fully developed – apparently by _magical_ means. He's mentally stable, but there is a well of sadness deep within him, likely caused by his circumstances prior to his 'vacation'."

"So the brief report I uncovered earlier stands, then."

"Which one would that be, Isoku?" MacMillian asked.

"'The Sunshine League as a whole must stay on his good side. If certain cities manage to _fail _to stay on his good side, so much the better, but we do not want him angry with any of us. Provide assistance when requested at a reasonable level – don't go over the top, but don't let him think we're shorting him.'"

"That," Granny said with finality, "is what the Council is convinced of, thank all the gods."

"I think we should try to warn him if we catch wind of anybody hunting for him, too. It would only be fair, after all, and we may endear ourselves to him in this manner."

"An excellent idea, Isoku, I agree," MacMillian replied.

Granny nodded her head in agreement.

"Very well then, this meeting is now closed."

* * *

Harry was busily categorizing his purchases that evening in their room at the Pokecenter when he heard Betsy say the five dreaded words, "Harry, we need to talk."

He looked up at her, "What is it?" His hands kept storing pokeballs, p-meds, just about everything, really, including herbal remedies and berries, which he might eventually use in potions research. Whenever he gets around to building a base and has time to spare, at any rate.

"You need to hurry out of this town, at least to pick up your starter 'girl."

"This is a part of that whole 'blending in' thing, now isn't it?" he sighed.

"Yes, Harry, it is. Besides, I can't have you holding onto my hand when we're out together if we don't have any other 'girls around to protect you!"

"All right, let me finish packing. We'll set out to the nearest place in the morning."

"Thank you!"

* * *

_Late that Night, Titfield Valley Pokecenter, Harry's Room_

Harry, only needing four hours of sleep a night, browsed his 'dex while in bed, the screen illuminating his face, one arm around Betsy with the other manipulating the touch screen. They hadn't gotten around to sharing anything about each other's lives yet, both far too absorbed with memorizing the others body. Harry wasn't ready to share his secrets with her, anyway. Perhaps he never would be.

There was only one ranch in the area, and it seemed like it had a wide enough variety and selection to enable Harry to pick up just about any of the 'starter' pokegirls he wanted, which meant that he needed to narrow down his selection.

The typical starter 'girls that he saw didn't particularly interest him. Mono-element typing in a rock-paper-scissors configuration just weren't appealing, especially since almost every new Tamer chose one of them. The sword users available were interesting, as was the existence of an entire line of _Elf_ pokegirls(!), but he was a magic user and he wanted to _know_ he could teach his 'girls how to be better in combat. That basically meant he had to pick up a Witch first – perhaps more than one. After all, it was blindingly obvious that that is the sort of thing he was sent here to learn: how to work with others again, how to trust them to hold up their end when the shit hit the fan, that he no longer needed to rely on himself – he held back a sob, not wanting to wake up his lover.

Betsy. Now there was something strange. She was obviously _not_ 'breed typical', not if she was acting like this. He had, of course, read up on the Hyperdoll breed as soon as she went to sleep.

Then he read up on the Redeemer breed, and sat back contemplatively. If _this_ is part of what she meant, then he knew that in a few months – no more than a year if he was being a complete arse-wipe – he would have a more balanced Pokegirl with the ability to augment her combat abilities with magic. Except she already seemed to be rather balanced. Oh, sure, she had issues – who didn't have issues? – but they weren't the one's a Hyperdoll typically had, or the ones a Hyperdoll who had just lost her Tamer should have. It was like she was acting the entire time out there with Barty, and that mask had started to slip by the time she and Storm were engaged in a discussion outside the door to his room that morning.

Perhaps when they were on the road, camped for a night, they could share. Even here, inside a Pokecenter, with full wards up, he didn't feel comfortable sharing, like there was something just waiting to leap out and bite him, or to steal all of the secrets he let spill and turn them against him.

He had already berated himself for that, giving anybody a slender clue as to the identity of one of his employers struck him as a bad idea, but it was already done. All he could do now was arrange to protect the minds of those he told his secrets to in the future. Which thought brought him back to Betsy again. The psychic type following them that _he_ had spotted was, of course, not capable of reading his mind. It appeared, judging by how focused her eyes had been on their lips, that she couldn't read Betsy's mind, either.

_Stop right there, Harry_, he thought_, it's her secret, not mine, and it's hers to share when she feels it is appropriate_.

His research continued the rest of the night and into the morning, finally tapering off around 3am. He had reached no conclusions on what he was going for, Harem-wise, other than a Witch for a starter. Perhaps he should ask his employers what they thought...?

* * *

_The next morning, Blunderghast Residence.  
_

Gregor Blunderghast hung up his phone and sighed. It appeared that the man that had killed the Widow that killed his fat cousin already had people wanting him dead, or at least weakened. Gregor belonged to the Night Watch, and he had orders to weaken this new Widow Slayer. His employers knew his family's previous trouble with law enforcement prevented him from taking a more complete approach.

He had been in town yesterday to pick up anything interesting, but the only interesting thing he heard was about the Widow callout that had hit the day prior to that. Gregor shuddered. Getting anywhere _near_ a Widow always meant bad news. That this guy had killed a Widow smacked of a strange combination of bad and good luck. Bad luck in that he ran into a Widow; good luck that he killed the Sukebe-cursed monster.

Unfortunately, he had to defeat the man's Hyperdoll with a Doppeldame. All of 'his' other pokegirls were registered under other names, and he had been ordered to do this under the cover of a family vendetta. Silently cursing the people in charge, he began to prepare himself, and his 'girl, for the coming battle.

"Bitch! Get down here and bring your _hands_ with you. We have a target!" The 'bitch', Gregor's Doppeldame, sighed. She'd had a name, once. She remembered that much of her life before her current Tamer took her. All she went by now – when her Tamer was in polite company, at any rate – was Prime. The rest of the time she had to deal with slurs and insults. At least she got the occasional useful toy – meaning enchanted gear or other fun tools, like explosives! – out of it, and some decent weapons training. She wished she had gotten some magical training, however the trainer the Blunderghast family always brought in... he scared her to the point that she _knew_ that her life could be much, much worse, and the thought of learning magic from the kind of Tamer the Blunderghast family would pick out? She shivered at the very thought. Hells, just look at what _Bartholomew's_ 'girls had to put up with! Shit! At least _she_ knew she could wear her tamer out easily, just treat her doppels like he did and use them as hands.

She giggled lightly at the thought of some new toys to play with as she hurried down to speak to her master, her only friends and companions moving alongside her, a multicolored streak of hair flying out behind them as they raced down the hallway and a stairwell.

"Master? What is it?" She asked, as was her prerogative – in his eyes – as the original. Her doppels were people too, damnit! Why, they even acted differently than she did!

"We're to take down a beginning tamer and his 'girl, a Hyperdoll." He fixed her with a gimlet eye, ignoring her 'hands' completely. It was something he always did. _No wonder he can never outlast us, he only pays _me_ any attention_, Prime thought. "I'm afraid that I don't have anything new for you to use, however, so you'll just have to make do." She nodded her acquiescence. "Go prepare. You have thirty minutes."

* * *

_Two Days after the Widow Died, Day Two of Harry's Vacation_

Harry Potter had a pleasant wake up that morning. This time it wasn't to cuddling Betsy, like yesterday afternoon, no. This time it was to see her standing by the side of the plastic-sheeted bed, bending over for some reason or another. Her heart shaped ass jiggled just over a foot from his face.

_Mmmm... Okay, if _this_ sort of moment is the kind of reward I have working for Life and Death I am perfectly fine with it! _He reached his hand out to caress her pale skin.

She moaned in response to his touch and slowly stood up, finally saying, "Good morning, Harry," when she was fully upright. He sat up by the side of the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling his head into the small of her back.

"Mmmm... this is nice, Betsy," He quirked his eyebrows against her back. "So what's got you up so early this morning?"

"I have a feeling about today. It's odd, I've never gotten _feelings_ about anything other than just how bad a Tamer would be."

"What's got you in this mood, then?"

"Well, I think it has something to do with the fact that in the last eighteen-twenty hours I've had more sex than in the previous eighteen _months,_" she turned in his arms, her smile smoldering, her golden eyes filled with... something Harry couldn't make out. "But I can't let you do what I want you to do."

"Oh?" Harry asked, smirking.

"Uh-huh. I need to _eat_! And then we need to go out and get you some more 'girls. I can't help you keep to your 'cover' alone!" She grabbed his hand in hers, "Especially if you want to keep holding hands, Harry."

"But, but! Aren't _I_ supposed to be the one in charge?" he teased, pouting just a little.

"Ah ah ah!" she waggled her finger in front of his face, darting it away when he looked to lick it. "Only when we're in public, _Master_," she drawled, "The rest of the time, I educate you! And one reason to get up this early is that Tamers are _never_ up this early, so we should make it out of Titfield Valley Town and out to where the Ranch is without running into anyone who might be unsavory."

Harry sighed sadly and released Betsy from his arms. "Alright, alright, I agree."

She simply smiled at him in response. "It'll turn out well, you'll see."

* * *

_One hour later..._

Harry and Betsy had just finished eating breakfast before heading to the nearest ranch, a relatively small place with no one specialization. They hadn't yet made it to the city gates when they spotted a short man with dark hair wearing what Harry had learned to call 'Business Casual' from his time in the non-magical world. He seemed to be comfortable in his clothes today, unlike yesterday.

The man still wasn't particularly interesting. However, the circle of six surrounding him was identical to the one that surrounded him yesterday, except for the fact that all six of them were well armored – and that many were moving out of the way of the armored circle of six.

"I think something's up, Betsy," Harry said quietly. Not a whisper, but a low tone that only just carried to her ear under the ruckus of the street. While few Tamers were awake this early, there were plenty of others around.

She looked around them, "Ah. He seems to be arrowing straight for us; the 'girl seems to be keeping an eye out."

"Think you can take her?"

"Huh?"

"He's spoiling for a fight right now. It's in his gait, his eyes, and his 'girl is all armored up. I'm sure they have weapons and equipment we haven't seen yet, too."

"Of course I can take her, Master!" she replied confidently. He winced at her reply, but nodded.

"Good, I think you're going to have to. I know that he can't take you away from me, as you're an Alpha-bonded Hyperdoll, but he will probably try claim my starter voucher, and I'd rather not lose such a resource. Oh," he said, "what do you think of her in our 'Harem'? I swear that _this_ is what you hinted at this morning. I could have done without it, to be honest."

She looked at him and cocked one eyebrow. Harry blinked in surprise at the trick, then answered, "Well, the _voucher_ is the resource. Until it is, ah," he blushed lightly, "turned in, it isn't anything, just a few kilobytes." She looked a little shocked, "What? You pick things up when you spend a decade wandering around! Bloody conventions..." he trailed off. "Oh, and if we win and that's his only 'girl, of course we're taking her," he snorted. "She certainly looks capable, even if it's extremely likely that _none_ of the stuff she's carrying is her own. It's probably all his. Hmm... might explain why Doppeldames are usually on police or rescue forces... it's got to be expensive as all hell to outfit one."

The man surrounded by the Doppeldame and her clones had reached them prior to Betsy's response, the clones splitting aside to allow him through. Betsy tensed up and kept her eyes rigidly fixed forward. She was sublimely confident in herself, but it had been a very, very long time since she'd been in combat and actually cut loose. She knew she was rusty, but she also knew that she could take this Doppeldame on. It wasn't like she could actually be hurt by the other 'girl, after all.

"You!" A shockingly deep voice sounded from the slender male. "You killed my cousin! I swear, you will pay for that! I challenge you to a one on one Salvage Battle!"

* * *

**Author's End Notes And Review Responses:**

**plums:** of course they're going to Azeroth eventually! Any more than that would count as a spoiler!

**kira09:** no worries. Oh, and the Deity level blessings weren't caught by the blood tests because they only directly influence his soul. There are indirect effects on his mind and magic, but none on his body or genetic code.

**nad destroyer:** I'm cool with weird. Weird means different, and different in the sea of stories on this website is hard. There is a set of canon stories in the pokegirls universe. Many of them are available at the Pokegirls Pokecenter website, the downside is that you need to create an account and sign in. Ah, I probably should have done that in the first place, thanks! They're up there now, sorry I didn't do so earlier.

**basa93:** Thanks for your kind words, I certainly plan to keep it up!

**Aenoir:** He accepted the reward. Harry needs local resources and currency, and is paranoid enough to keep a large amount of his resources in reserve for a later time.

**Kid Coheed:** They certainly could use nicknames! I think I'll bring that up - in story - at a later date. I have no intention of inflating word count by adding pokegirl entries - every time I see a long chapter then discover how much of it is pokegirl entries I get irritated. I'll post one if it's something I've made up on my own, otherwise please utilize the websites I've linked to. has the most up to date pokedex, a link is available on my profile page.

**Zamin:** Magic is magic, is my opinion. The pokegirls and mages of this universe can't do Harry's style of magic because they haven't learned how to shape their magic the way a Wizarding World wand does. I don't know if he'll teach anywhere or not.

**godofwrath1:** I honestly have no fucking clue what's in his trunks yet. It is open ended on purpose, but I don't want to pull deus ex machinae every time there's a problem and have the solution be in his trunks. Yes, he does have all of the Pokegirl types covered. Isn't that awesome?

**TheBigBruteOmega, blade master naruto, **and** rusty32526**: Thanks for the suggestions, we'll see.

Thank you **Silver Heart11DOOM, wolfsrun, geetac, The Eternal Wanderer, jc, weather witch nami-zo, karthik9, GhostWagon, Griseus, **and **Cal the** **Puppet **for taking the time to review!

Thank you everybody who followed/favorited my work!


	4. Chapter 4 Meet the Doppeldame

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Harry Potter, JKR and associated companies do. I also don't own Pokegirls, though I don't think anybody does(?).

**A/N**:

My apologies for how long it took me to get this chapter out. It was probably ready two weeks ago, but I just sat on it. Still, better two months than the six months it took me to write Chapter One, eh?

Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! I'm still ecstatic at the interest my tale has received! And thanks for the PM's expressing interest in the next chapter, it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

The Pokegirls resource website links are all up on my Profile! Check those out!

I have no beta. I do the best I can on my own. If you spot anything you think is an error, please PM me or leave a review to let me know.

This chapter has a long fight scene. I hope it's decent... No, there is no sex in this chapter.

Important note at the end of this chapter! Read it!

Chapter First Posted: 08/16/2014, ~7500 words prior to A/N's.

Chapter Four: Meet the Doppeldame

_Elsewhere, Time Indeterminable_

"Life? What are you doing?" Death asked, appearing in the area the two of them had designated as their 'Harry Watching Zone'.

"Our All-Seeing Eyes can't show everything that happens all at once on this dinky little television!" She said, gesturing to the big screen, which was currently showing the fight against the Widow from yet another perspective.

_What does she mean, little?_ Death's eye twitched. _That thing is almost as big as a theater screen!_

"Besides," she continued, "I want to see what happened in other places! It'll probably effect what we see when we're following Harry around!"

Death sighed. "Life, no. Really, we only have enough time on our breaks from paperwork and managing to follow Harry around at the moment. Please control yourself."

"Oh, alright," she pouted. "Fast forward! Fast! Forward!" She chanted, and the screen blurred back to the 'present'.

"Hey, no breaking the fourth wall!"

"What? I can't fast forward our TV? Hrmph!"

"I really wish Time was here, she'd sort you out," Death mumbled as she crashed next to Life on the couch, just in time to hear Gregor speak.

"You killed my cousin! I swear, you will pay for that! I challenge you to a one on one Salvage Battle!"

"Ooh! A fight!"

* * *

_Two Days after the Widow Died, Day Two of Harry's Vacation_

Gregor winced at the pomposity of his words, sweating under his clothes. He had seen the man eating yesterday and paid him no mind. After all, what was the point in bothering with somebody who had a Hyperdoll? Sure, he now knew how he got the 'girl, and he felt a little sorry for the poor bastard but not sorry enough not to take away the only real shot the other man had at getting a 'girl that wasn't a lazy, obnoxious, hypocritical bitch. If he didn't his sponsors wouldn't be the least bit pleased with him – and the Family wouldn't be happy, either. His irritation from that morning had grown to full blown anger, something he would have noticed on another day, but today his mind was clouded.

He was sweating now because he had seen how the man walked. The man walked just like some of the best Pokegirl fighters he had ever seen, for his steps were sure, smooth, and quiet, even under the typical day's noise, and muscle flowed with each step under skin-tight clothing. Gregor knew he had been given the proper orders, but his anger overrode his concerns. He had issued his challenge already, so it was far too late for second thoughts. There was nothing he could do except hope that his Slut was fully capable of taking the Hyperdoll down – who hadn't spoken at all. How odd.

"Oh?" came the lazy reply. "Are you sure? I mean, I only just became a Tamer yesterday, after all. Seriously, the only 'girl I have is Betsy, here. I haven't even had a chance to use my Starter Voucher yet!"

Gregor was started out of his brief introspection – limited as his intelligence was, he certainly had more than his moronic cousin – in shock at the fact that this man was trying to bluff him. "Of course I'm certain!" It was only after the words were out of his mouth that he realized that the pink haired pokegirl had a name other than 'slut', 'bitch', 'useless', or some variation or combination thereof. He knew Barty hadn't given the 'girl that name, so where did it come from? Certainly not his opponent. Humans just didn't connect to pokegirls that way.

"So, what is this, ah, 'Salvage Battle' going to be for? Oh," the man turned to look at the gathering crowd, "could someone get a police officer? Thanks."

Gregor snarled. He had wanted their battle to be unobserved by anybody at all – a quick and dirty match. "As you only have the Hyperdoll it will obviously have to be for some other thing. Say, that Starter voucher of yours on the line if you lose? It's the next best thing to an actual pokegirl!" his angry grin just looked silly on his face, but nobody laughed. A starter voucher was a quick and easy way to obtain a moderately powerful pokegirl, and if he was going to be under his actual name more he would need a stronger harem.

Harry hid his tension at the man's words, noted his anger, and shrugged. "I see no loss in that. Now, if an officer would get here soon... ah! There's one! Ma'am," he said to the Officer Jenny, clearly recognizable as such due to her green eyes, blue hair, and uniform, "We've got a Salvage Battle to set up here, and I was wondering if you would be willing to lead us to an appropriate arena? I don't think that the middle of a city street is the least bit appropriate for such a thing."

The Jenny looked at the two Tamers, one clearly ready for a fight and fuming – his Doppeldame's armor and agitation indicated as much – the other relaxed, casual... and on a hair trigger if something went wrong. She smiled inside. Outside, she was all business.

"Hello gentlemen, my name is Miranda, and if the two of you would follow me? We don't have a Gym here, but we do have a small stadium for just this sort of occasion."

* * *

Harry and his opponent followed Miranda to the stadium. It wasn't a particularly far walk, as if the stadiums were stationed around the city near the gates. All he knew about the man was that he was a Blunderghast – the 'cousin' during his opening line gave that away.

"Here we are, gentlemen," Miranda said. "Take your places!"

The stadium wasn't much of a stadium, an open air affair with seating on two sides, leaving the ends open. Harry went for the side closer to the gate; his opponent chose the side farther away. There were two raised stone platforms at each end, and a tower for the match official to watch from. When both parties had taken their places, and the idle civilians, awake Tamers and Free Pokegirls who had gathered around the first confrontation settled into the stands to watch, Miranda began her part.

"Tamer Gregor Blunderghast, you have challenged Tamer Harry Potter to a one-on-one Salvage Battle. In your case, if you win you obtain his digital Starter Voucher. If you lose, he obtains your Doppeldame." She winced at the name on the official registration and didn't bother to speak it. "Do you wish to pull your challenge?"

"No," he grunted. How he grunted that deeply Miranda didn't want to know.

"Very well. Tamer Harry Potter, as the challenged, you can't refuse. You can't be legally challenged for twelve hours if you stay in the city, or twenty four hours out in the wilderness. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Officer," he replied.

"Very well. The Salvage Battle between Tamer Harry Potter and Tamer Gregor Blunderghast has begun! Choose your Pokegirls!"

Gregor nodded to Prime and shouted, "I screw you, Prime!" Harry – and much of the audience, especially the Free Pokegirls, winced. _That _was a slur very much frowned upon in most of the Sunshine League. Miranda, on the other hand, snorted. That most assuredly was not the name on the official record. Prime and her clones stepped down from the platform onto the plain dirt field.

Harry whispered in Betsy's ear, slapped something in her palm, and shouted, "I choose you, Betsy!" Betsy imitated her opponent and stepped onto the field, her hand slipping into and out of her pocket.

Prime and her doppels readied their weapons. A wide variety appeared in the hands of the six facing the Hyperdoll. The blondes, who Prime referred to as Beta and Gamma – not knowing any better way to name them – both drew swords. The pinkette, Delta, pulled out sparking claws and fit them over her wrists and forearms. The red haired Epsilon drew a mace and a shield, and the bluenette Zeta drew a bow, arrows appearing on her back. Prime pulled out a staff and twirled it.

"Now that's interesting," Harry mumbled, checking the enchantments on the weapons Betsy's opponent was using. A fire element sword, an ice element sword, electric element claws, a poisoned mace, a recurve bow aligned with wind, and a staff aligned with 'nature', plant life and growth. He then turned his gaze onto the armor, only for the fight to really start.

Prime pulled out several smokebombs and scattered them around the battlefield. Prime and her sisters used the cover of the smoke to split up around the field, preventing any area attack from taking them all down at once. They know they need to utilize teamwork to the utmost, no matter the enchantments on their equipment. Betsy smirked in response and levitated just over the low hanging clouds, moving a little away from dead center of the arena.

Gregor snarled, aghast that his 'girl was using those already.

As the smoke clears, arrows whirred by Betsy's position in the middle of the field. None of them struck her for she released her hold on her levitation to collapse onto Delta, who was just under her when the smoke cleared.

"Fire Punch!" Betsy snarled, and her right hand left a smoking dent in the ground as Delta lithely rolled away. A sword slashed at her horizontally, and Betsy went from kneeling to standing upright, a hasty "Ice Punch!" shattering the already icy steel blade up and out in a spray of metal shards. The disarmed doppel backed away, pulled out another sword – this one plain steel – and rejoined the fray. The shards shot across the battlefield, striking Delta and Prime as they lined up their shots.

"Damn you! You'll pay for that!" Gregor shouted.

"Only if you win," Harry replied, one eyebrow raised.

"Wasn't talking to you," he growled back. Harry's other brow rose in response, not that anybody noticed.

A flurry of arrows whizzed by Betsy again, this time forcing her into the sword of Beta and the mace of Epsilon, neither of which managed to penetrate her skin.

"Ha! You'll need to do better than that! Water Blades!" She exulted, forming a sword of water in each hand. One clashed with the blade of Fire and the other swung in against the 'girl herself. The Fiery sword was doused as the Water Blade attack ran out of power in a spray of high velocity water, and the other blade struck directly against the stomach of Beta, who collapsed over the blade as it ran out of energy. Delta's claws slashed against Betsy's hide and drew blood. She snarled and flung her foot around, chi glowing around the Mega Kick.

Delta dodged, and the attack struck the ground hard, leaving a small crater in its wake. A second flurry of arrows passed her by, and a green-blue bolt of pure energy struck her dead on. She stumbled back, singed from the strike.

Prime smirked, her staff glowing. "Take that!" She shouted. "My staff here is the _best_!"

Her sisters winced. "Don't brag! It's unbecoming!" Zeta shouted, launching yet another flurry of arrows. One managed to nick Betsy's forearm, drawing blood. She was shocked. It had been centuries since someone had actually drawn blood against her when she really fought! She snarled, furious – completely forgetting that it had also been centuries since she last really fought.

Delta, Beta, and Gamma struck simultaneously, from multiple directions. Claws angled at her left and right fronts, a fiery sword slashed down from above, and straight steel struck for her back.

Harry winced – that would be hard to get out of, let alone survive, given the strength of the weapons the Doppeldame was using.

Betsy took the only opening, rolling to her back and right – directly into another flurry of arrows. She snarled. "Damn you! Stop doing that!" The arrows only scratched her, true, but that was more than anything else managed to do except for the Staff, which had a high charge time and shot in a straight line.

_The arrows are the only thing we've got that hurts her. Pin her down and open fire!_ Prime thought to the others, who all rolled their eyes. Still, they followed her orders and the four melee clones moved to surround the secretive Hunter once again.

Betsy had no intention of being caught so off guard again, however, and she sprinted right for the 'girl with the enchanted bow, only for a blast of magic/plant energy to strike her in the back, knocking her right into another arrow. It pierced her left shoulder before fading into nothing. Betsy rolled back from another two strikes – a shield bash and a flaming sword – brought her right hand to her shoulder, and muttered a few words. Her hands glowed, and,

The injury healed.

Prime and company freaked – and so did the crowd. Harry raised an eyebrow. Then another flurry of arrows shot by Betsy, who lithely ducked under that and the swords slashing over her head.

"_Fire Sword_," She snarled, spinning around. The blade hit Epsilon's shield, which actually caught fire in the backwash of the sword vanishing in a burst of flame. Epsilon hastily flung the shield across the arena.

"_Thunder Punch_," she hissed, her punch ramming into Delta's claws. The crackle of discharging electricity resounded across the stadium and even into the city beyond.

* * *

_Oh hell, what now?_ Captain Strongarm thought muzzily. He hadn't had his coffee yet this morning, and was therefore grumpy. "Shara, whats making that racket?" he asked his Alpha, who sat upright. Her eyes glazed over briefly before returning to normal.

"There appears to be a Salvage Battle going on at Stadium Four, by the North Gate," she said.

"Between..."

Shara grinned, "Between Gregor Blunderghast and Harry Potter."

"Fuck it, I need my coffee," he grunted. Shara rolled her eyes, amused at her lover's hatred of mornings.

* * *

Harry winced and rubbed his ears. That was loud. Fortunately for everybody's ears, the punch dissipated and Betsy used what momentum she had left to vault over Delta, another volley of those damn arrows, and two sword strikes, all designed to block off her retreat routes.

Betsy dropped an Energy Blast behind her and the explosive sphere of energy sent the four duplicates reeling from the point of impact. Glowing white energy surrounded her fist as she darted around, far faster than she should, and slammed a Mega Punch into Delta's back. The shimmering armor cracked and Delta stumbled forwards, right into Gamma, and the two of them tumbled to the ground.

Many eyes widened. A Mega Punch was no mean strike, for the armor to be cracked instead of broken meant it was top of the line.

Gregor cursed, his already high anger increasing. That shit was expensive, and he still hadn't paid the loan back!

Captain Strongarm and Shara teleported into the arena. Only Harry noticed, the audience and his opponent were all too busy staring.

Betsy was slowly getting back into things. Sure, the specific moves were knew, but her body still remembered what it was like to really fight. Somehow.

"Energy Blade," she whispered, and it shattered the bolt of energy Prime launched. The blade dissipated, too, but that was okay. The dissipating energy flung the mystic arrows fired by Zeta off course.

As Betsy looked at Prime imperiously, Epsilon slammed her mace on Betsy's head, who staggered out of the way of two _more_ sword strikes. Delta, still dizzy, wasn't in position to take advantage of her opponents condition.

Beta recovered quickly and swung her sword right into a hasty "Rock Blade" of Betsy's. Beta's sword reverberated but held, and shards of rock flew outward when the Elemental Blade dissipated. Betsy cursed. She was actually pressed a little – the sheer coordination of her opponents attacks meant she couldn't easily isolate any of them.

Her hand slipped into her pocket, pulled out the trinket Harry gave her at the start of the match, and channeled a bit of magic into it. A brief flare of magic later – which left the Doppeldame blinking – and Betsy had an immaculately crafted katana in her hands. No special enchantments other than shrink/expand, but it would do very, very well.

With a hissed, "_Water Blade!_" Betsy charged back into action. Because this water blade was enhancing an already existing weapon it was actually the Mk II version, which lasted for more than a single hit. Her sword shattered Beta's Fire Enchanted weapon and sent her tumbling into Delta. They crashed into the ground in a heap. Delta, already dazed, was knocked out in a tangle of limbs.

Another volley of arrows raced towards Betsy, and in dodging that she also evaded Espilon's follow up strike and Prime's magic bolt. Gamma struck a glancing blow, but it barely cut into Betsy's skin before she was past it and racing for Prime.

Prime slammed the ground with her staff, and wall of plants erupted from the ground to entangle Betsy. A volley of arrows flew over head and the tough 'girl became entangled. She swapped her blade's affinity to fire with nary a whisper and burned through the plants around her. Blade first she lunged at Prime, who gripped her staff defensively, bracing for a charge, except another flurry of arrows sent Betsy tumbling off course. She swept her sword in a complete circle, a blur of fiery motion, and faced Prime once more, who looked past Betsy in shock

Epsilon had a deep gash across her stomach, and her armor had peeled away from the strike. If the blade hadn't been fiery, her guts would have spilled across the ground. Instead she gaped at the charred fleshy hole in her belly, looked up at Prime, and then faded away in a burst of magical energy.

"Damn you," the Doppeldame hissed, five throats as one, five bodies stumbling as one. "That _hurt_, bitch."

Betsy smirked haughtily, "Bring it on!" she cried, charging forward once more. A wave of plant life greeted her charge, but she jumped right over it. The typical flurry of arrows missed by a wide margin – probably caused by some nasty feedback as a result of the death of one of her clones. On landing she slashed at Prime, only to miss. Not be blocked, _miss_. Then she was thunked in the head by a staff.

Stumbling sideways to avoid the wall of vines behind her, Betsy cursed. Of course the primary of any doppeldame is faster than her duplicates! Beta, equipped with a plain new blade, and Gamma had maneuvered into her blind spots and swung for her again. Betsy levitated over them, landed, turned and raced for Zeta, who responded with a continuous stream of enchanted arrows, which Betsy deflected or destroyed with her sword. Chi energy gathered around her feet, and she leaped into the air a short distance from her opponent, trying yet another Mega Kick.

Zeta's eyes widened as she stepped back, only for the impact of the kick to knock her off her feet. With Prime behind a wall of plants, and Beta and Gamma not yet near, she had to put up her bow. It vanished, and two long knives replaced her bow and arrows. Betsy's now watery sword slammed into her crossed knives, and her foot swung up to kick Zeta in the ribs. She danced away from the blow, but Betsy followed up with another energy blast, which caught Zeta full on in the chest. The blast shredded her armor. Desperate, Zeta moved as quickly as she could away from her opponent.

A charged magical blast narrowly missed Betsy, who snickered. "Your staff needs some upgrades!" She taunted, launching an Energy Blast at Prime, who barely evaded the attack, only for it to detonate behind her and fling her towards a charging Betsy.

Beta and Gamma had managed to flank Betsy again, and this time their swords didn't miss or strike glancing blows. Unfortunately – for them – their swords shattered after impacting the extremely tough skin of the Hyperdoll, neither Beta nor Gamma's replacements as tough as their original swords. The two of them leapt back to re-equip themselves, which left Prime unguarded – except for Delta, who had managed to get up, her electric claws ready.

Watery sword met electric claws. Betsy stumbled back as her blade's watery edge dissolved, shaking her head. "Ouch. I so should have known better than to do that. Ah, well." She leaped over the re-equipped Beta and Gamma and charged towards the archer again, hovering just off the ground. This time, nobody was in the way; this time that damn arrow firing bitch was going down. Ice formed along her blade as it intercepted wind-powered arrow after wind-powered arrow.

Zeta frantically grasped for another arrow, but Betsy was far too close, and then Zeta wasn't, anymore. The burst of magic rippled the air.

Prime, Beta, Gamma, and Delta gasped as another death ripped through them, icy currents ephemerally spearing their hearts. They knew she would be back, after a healing cycle and rest, but dying _hurt, _dammit!

Betsy grinned as she turned to face her staggering opponent. She didn't let up, however, and charged forwards in a blur of motion. Her target scattered, but Prime was left standing alone, shivering.

"_Do_ something,you _useless_ whore!" Gregor screamed, finally losing his self control. Prime finally moved, barely dodging the fast striking frost covered blade, but her heart wasn't in the fight anymore. Her opponent's master hadn't said a word all fight long. _Perhaps he is the better choice_, Prime thought.

"Oof!" She grunted as icy steel slammed into her armored belly, doubling over, then a fist hammered into her face and knocked her backwards. Beta, Gamma, and Delta all swung in again, but Betsy _blurred_ behind them and they stumbled into each other, and an ice sheathed sword slipped into the neck seams of Delta's armor. The echoes of yet another death sent Prime, Beta, and Gamma to the ground reeling; the explosion of magic knocked Betsy back.

The Doppeldame struggled to her feet, three bodies worth of feet. Betsy grinned ferally at her. Prime replied via murderous glare. Beta and Gamma shook their heads at their boss' antics and moved into defensive positions flanking Prime.

Betsy's grin widened. She charged forwards again, icy sword in one hand, electricity crackling around the other. Beta and Gamma dashed forwards in response, swords ready.

A cloud of smoke enveloped them all, and Prime grimaced, charging her staff. That was her last smoke bomb. She hoped it was enough, as unlike the others, this one wouldn't be blown away by an errant breeze.

Harry watched the cloud of smoke impassively. He was slowly learning what Betsy could do beyond the PokeDex entry, which was obviously incomplete, incorrect, or deliberately missing information. He also knew she held secrets from him, but that was okay, for he was certain he held more secrets than she did. This was her chance to 'show off' for him, not his to issue orders.

Betsy's consistent telegraphing of many of her moves – especially all of her elemental moves – early on in the left something to be desired, although as the battle progressed she got better and better. The Doppeldame impressed him. Her insane coordination and the power of her equipment balanced out the combat disparity between a Doppeldame and a Hyperdoll, though Betsy was slowly eliminating the duplicates used to achieve such a thing.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Betsy sang out, taunting. Three snarls sounded in reply, and Betsy darted after one of them, sword swinging. Prime and her surviving clones cursed simultaneously – the sense dampening aspects of this smoke failed to work on this target, for some strange reason – then leaped aside, as the curse had only allowed Betsy to home in on Prime. Beta and Gamma raced through the clouds to back her up, but they arrived too late.

Prime was disarmed, her staff out of the arena.

Beta and Gamma's blades shattered on Betsy's incredibly tough skin.

Prime stumbled out of the smoke, dazed. Two bright flashes lit the smoke up brilliantly, and Prime fell over convulsing.

Betsy stepped out of the slowly sinking cloud of smoke, wisps clinging to her skin, her sword held ready.

Prime pulled herself together, and a brace of daggers and a short sword appeared out of her subspace pocket.

"Got enough weapons?" Betsy asked, rolling her eyes.

"Not, possible," she gasped, "'Open fire' and 'Reload' are the only words that make sense!" she finished strongly, hurtling the daggers.

Betsy batted them all aside and rushed the short distance between her and Prime, going for a finishing move. She tossed her sword in front of her. Prime's eyes widened as chi visibly coalesced around Betsy's fist, before she _punched_ her sword forwards at an insane speed.

Harry snorted. That was that, Betsy was clever. Using a Mega Punch to launch a weapon forward proved her ability at innovation, though it wouldn't have worked with any other blade. _One less subject to teach her_, he mused, _and perhaps I should find her another sword. A returning weapon of some kind._

The blade stabbed deeply in the Doppeldame's stomach punching right through her armor, erupting out the other side and pinning her to the ground. Gregor started swearing, a streak of words strung so tightly together they were unintelligible, as he pulled out Prime's pokeball.

"It appears," he eventually ground out through clenched teeth, "that you are victorious, Mr. Potter. But," he grinned insanely, "you haven't won everything! I own _everything_ she's got in her subspace storage pocket. I'll be reclaiming it _all_ before handing it over to you."

"Tamer Blunderghast's Doppeldame is unable to continue! Winner, Tamer Potter!" Miranda cried out. "As there are complications involved in the completion of this battle, we adjourn to the PokeCenter." Harry greeted his 'girl with a hug, and then they moved to follow the Police Pokegirl. Gregor trailed behind them, silently cursing. He'd basically been hung out to dry – no way could any ordinary Tamer get a Hyperdoll working_ with_ him in under a day, right? It wasn't _natural_, people didn't form connections with Pokegirls so quickly! They only came after the 'girl was placed through great hardship, stress, and pain, stretched out over _years_. That's how his family formed bonds! It had worked for the past century! It was obvious to Gregor's small mind that the Night Watch was using Harry to wipe away a potential leak. His anger only grew, and he became determined to kill the man.

But not here, oh no, not here. He managed to rein his emotions in. He would _kill_ Harry Potter, just as soon as he was out of the area.

Captain Strongarm released a sigh of relief. Sienna sensed her master relax and dissipated the power she had prepared, just in case. Despite their relaxed attitude, they too followed the Officer Jenny. It was his duty to keep an eye on Mr. Potter for as long as he was in Titfield Valley. He pitied the poor suckers who'd have to do it elsewhere, the man seemed to be a magnet for trouble.

* * *

Harry and Betsy finally made it out of the city several hours later, arguments and negotiations with an extremely recalcitrant Gregor Blunderghast delaying them for a long time. Then Harry had to wait as 'his' new Doppeldame and Betsy were _both_ put through a healing cycle, then they had to go clothes shopping.

Clothes shopping with females. A worse fate could not exist for him, he who basically only wears handcrafted armor. Okay, so they also purchased weapons, but still.

At least Betsy looked sexy in everything she tried on. Especially the stuff they were buying for their unnamed Doppeldame, who had asked for a new name as soon as Gregor was out of the 'Center. As Harry had decided to wait before 'taming' his newest pokegirl, he hadn't let her out of her 'ball just yet.

Which served to explain why he kept fingering it as he looked around him.

"So," he eventually asked, "Was that what was supposed to happen, Betsy?"

"What?"  
"You wanted us to get up early for some reason or another. Was that it?"

She scrunched her face up, "I don't know exactly, Master, just that it would be a good idea. I didn't know exactly_ why_ it would be a good idea, only that it would be beneficial to us."

"Hmm. So where is this place supposed to be, anyway? And what was with the crowd earlier today?"

"Most people don't become Tamers at all, so watching Pokegirls fight is a bit of a treat for them. Especially in a place like Titfield Valley, which doesn't have a Gym of its own."

"So it's free entertainment?"

"Yeah."

"And the other thing?"

"The Ranch closest to Titfield Valley is the – gasp – Titfield Valley Ranch. Unfortunately, it will take us several days to walk there, and it's not on the main path North, so we'll end up cross country sooner or later."

"I would think that the road would be more traveled..."

"It's a Sunday."

"What does that have to do with anything? I know it's a weekend day, but I still expected more traffic than this! Motorized vehicles, at least."

"Motor vehicles are strictly for the wealthy, elite units in the armed forces, or transport companies. The ranks of the wealthy tends to include Farmers, who usually use their vehicles to move produce. Civilians tend to have bicycles or motorcycles. This road here, the 'Five', stretches hundreds of miles from North to South and connects a great deal of the Western portion of the Sunshine League together.

"It's also a Sunday, which means that most people stick close to home. The only reason I can think of is that it's a leftover from pre-Sukebe times. It doesn't seem to hold true in most of the major cities, but it does in the villages and towns."

"A holdover from Christianity, eh? Interesting, but not important."

"Oh? What's important?"

"One moment," Harry replied, waving his hand around – a hand that suddenly held a wand.

Betsy looked at him curiously. "What did you just do?"

"Spells to prevent others from listening in to our next conversation and prevent lip reading, while simultaneously allowing us to hear and see threats," he replied, his wand disappearing. "We need to discuss secrets _now, _before one comes along and bites us in the ass."

"I, but, you, what?"

"Lets start with the easy ones. You tell me what you're holding back and why, and I'll tell you my story..."

* * *

_Evening same day, Harry's Tent_

"That's some story, Ma – Harry." Betsy shook her head, "Fighting a war for the freedom of yourself and your friends, all before you're eighteen, only to have the very people you fought for turn on you? And, if that wasn't enough," she continued, "you got the hair-brained idea to _leave_ your world behind!" The two of them were cuddled together on the couch in Harry's Magical Tent, which had enough rooms to fit about twenty people in comfort, including bathrooms and showers and a large, well stocked kitchen. The look on Betsy's face when she saw the inside of the Tent was a priceless treasure Harry would keep for a long, long time.

"It worked, didn't it?" he shrugged.

"Yes, but still! That sort of thing is part of what led to the War of Revenge three centuries ago. Sukebe went a little crazy wandering between realities."

"That's what I have you for," he grinned widely. "Your story was impressive, too," he smirked. "An assassin? Really? Besides, my story was shorter than yours!"

"Shorter? You skipped almost all of your adventures after leaving that Hogwarts place!"

Harry winced. "I'll get around to them in due time, Betsy."

"And when will that be?"

"I'll let you know before it happens," he smirked.

"So why'd you tell me all of what you did?" _So much, he's done so much..._

"I know I need to learn to trust again, Betsy. If I can't trust _you_, then I can't trust anybody here, now can I?"

_Telling me you are the Champion of two primal forces of reality certainly shows a lot of trust, _Betsy thought. _I promise to be worthy of your trust_.

"Besides," Harry continued, ignorant of Betsy's thoughts, "now that I know everything you can do we can start training." Harry shook his head, "Those Dark attacks are going to be your trump cards, especially after you evolve into a celestial, but we're not going to focus on those."

"Oh? What will you focus on then?"

"For you, flight and swordfighting."

"Hey! I resent that." Harry shot a look at her. She winced. "Okay, so I need to get better. I'm three centuries out of practice."

"Good girl," Harry teased. She growled at him. "Ah-ah! None of that, now. We've got somebody new to meet, after all."

"Do we have to?" she pouted. "I quite liked having you all to myself," she said, sensuously pressing against his side.

"Mmm... but you were the one who suggested just yesterday that I needed to get more 'girls to keep me in 'character' and 'safe'," he chided.

"Ha! I knew it! You just want more sex. Am I not enough for you, Master?"

"Oh, you're plenty for me, Betsy. But we've got to think of the future, as well – there will be times when I will need far more help than you can provide."

"Fine, Harry. Just put me up in a Pokeball while you become acquainted with your newest acquisition." She replied coolly.

Harry wasn't stupid. "Hey, now, whoever said I was going to do that? She's going to be your, ah, 'Harem Sister', you need to get to know each other too. Perhaps even more than I need to 'get to know' her, as the two of you will be working together to the same end, that is keeping me alive."

"But –"

"Look at it this way. All we're doing right now is making a new friend. The unfortunate part is that, as she's a Pokegirl, she's going to automatically _also_ be a sexual partner. Therefore, sex _can't_ play a major role in any relationship with a pokegirl, as doing so would be like denying access to fresh air."

She just stared at him.

Harry sighed, "Denying Taming as a punishment or giving extra Tamings as a reward is wrong."

"Oh! Okay."

_She's so steeped in the culture here she's forgotten what it was like before or during the War,_ Harry thought. _No matter that I wasn't around for it, it doesn't seem like it was all that different from my Earth._

"So. Time to meet the Doppeldame," he said, pressing the button on the 'girls pokeball. A figure stumbled out of a red beam.

"Where are they? I feel so alone, they should be here. We had a healing cycle and then got some rest. Sisters? Where are you?" She mumbled. "I got into a fight. Master sent me into a fight. Against a Hyperdoll. Foolish Master, why do you hate me so?"

She looked around and blinked. "You aren't my Master. Who are you? Wait." She pointed, "You're the Hyperdoll I fought against, right? I lost, then? Of course I did. I can't feel any of my sisters." She sniffled, "I feel so alone," and hugged herself, her arms wrapped around her chest.

"Well shit,"

"Damn, she's fucked up. What do you think happened to her, Betsy?"

"I think it was a Level Five conditioning cycle when Gregor first bought her."

"Complete mind-wipe? That's nasty. But what does that have to do with now?"

"It's generally used as an extreme punishment, on par with execution for those who aren't humans. There is no known way to get around it, although some Pokegirl breeds are immune." Betsy replied, this new issue pulling her out of her funk. "And I have no idea why she's acting like this."

"Check the Pokedex Entry, would you?" Harry stepped towards the distraught 'girl. "Who were your sisters?" he asked gently.

"Shut up, my new not quite a Master. What do you care, anyway? I don't have my sisters anymore, I'm useless now."

"You mean your duplicates?" Harry realized. "Just focus. Focus on them, on what they were like. If you have the strength, they can come back to you. They _will_ come back to you."

"Harry, it says here that losing a duplicate dramatically decreases a Doppeldame's magical reserves. In addition, if the Doppeldame runs low on magic, her duplicates start to disappear."

"So we need to build her reserves up, hmm?" he asked, gently holding the still sobbing 'girl.

"Yes."

"Alright, then."

"D-don't you talk about me like I'm not h-here! Where are they? I can't feel them. I can't feel _any_ of them," she sniffled. "Why aren't you hurting me?"

Harry blinked. _What,_ he thought.

Betsy wasn't nearly so reserved. "What."

The nameless Doppeldame sniffled. "I-it's what Master always said should be done to useless pokegirls. H-he said they should be punished, u-until they aren't useless anymore."

"Did your former Master ever say you were useless?"

"N-no. Not until I l-lost against your pokegirl, soon to be Master."

"So you weren't his pokegirl when he told you that." Harry said, wincing internally. He did _not_ like the culture this world had built around Pokegirls. "He wanted to make you weak. He wanted to _hurt you_ when he said those words. He never cared for you, he only cared about what you could do for him."

"N-not true!"

"Oh? Did he ever tell you so?"

She sniffled. "N-no. No, he never told me anything other than the next job he needed me to do. A-and whenever he wasn't home – which was frequently – I was keeping the house clean. N-never got a compliment if it was."

"Was it ever_ not_ clean?"

"When someone else was doing the cleaning. I, I don't remember her at all, only that she was declared 'useless'. Soon after I was the one cleaning the house."

"Something's off about this Gregor character," Betsy mumbled. "What was he up to, leaving his official pokegirl behind?" Harry shushed her.

"H-he was not nice to me," the clone-using pokegirl continued, having not heard Betsy's interruption. "When he tamed me he ignored my sisters, calling them my Hands. I was his bitch, his toy, his slut. Bitch was his favorite name for me, you see? When he had to – or felt it was circumspect – he called me 'Prime' or 'Alpha'. My hands were in sequence after me – Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta. But he never ordered them, never spoke to them, never allowed me to have the relationship with them that I needed! I ha – really don't like former Master."

"Another oddity," Betsy murmured.

"Great, conditioning. Not surprising, given that he's probably a criminal of some sort or another." Harry harrumphed. "Shh, he's not your master anymore. Shh. Your sisters will come back to you, just give them a little bit of time. Have they ever left you before?"

"Ye, no, I don't know," she sobbed. "Why can't I remember?"

"Do you think?"

"I think someone got to her _after_ the fight but before we did. Fuck."

"Secrets. So many secrets," Harry sighed. "It also looks like she hasn't been allowed to recover from that Level Five conditioning cycle she went through. We're going to need a high powered psychic type to get to her recent memories, I can't do delicate mind work in other people's heads."

"And we're not likely to pick up a high powered psychic type anytime soon, now are we?"

"I don't know," he said aloud, "Let's see if I can find out." Betsy quirked an eyebrow, wondering how he's going to find out; their new Doppeldame just huddled there.

_"Hey you two up there? Any ideas?"_

_ "Sorry, Harry, we can't see the future. If we had Time with us we could, but we don't know where she is," _Life replied.

_"Tough luck, Champion. You'll manage without those memories for a while, though."_

_ "Gee, thanks for the heads up, Death."_

_ "Oh, you are most welcome!"_ she and Life laughed in response. _"Now get back to your new 'girl."_ Harry didn't dignify that last statement with a reply. He had another option... if it turned out something else was wrong with her.

"Nope, no idea," he answered at last.

"So we're going to have to deal with her the slow way."

"Yup. The long, slow way," Harry said, rocking their new Doppeldame, who was somehow still crying.

* * *

_Several hours later..._

"Isn't it really unhealthy for somebody to cry this much?"

"Yeah. At least she's slowed down recently, though. Perhaps she'll be coherent soon."

Harry and Betsy had made small talk for the past several hours, chatting about nothing in particular. It was nearly midnight by now, but neither of them were pressed for time.

"M-master?" the crying 'girl mumbled. "Sleep now, Master. Talk more – _sniffle_ – later."

"Alright, we can go to sleep." Harry said, picking up the Doppeldame bridal style and carrying her to the tent's Master Bedroom.

"I'll go over there, Harry." Betsy said, pointing out a side room.

"Oh, no you're not. You are helping me with the girl you beat the shit out of."

"But!"

"No buts. Now get in here, or do you _not_ want to cuddle?"

"Eep!"

* * *

_Miles away, back in Titfield Valley..._

"Are we getting any data from her?" a shrouded man asked.

"No," replied a second man, this one wearing a lab coat and spectacles. "The clone is being most stubborn. All she'll say is that she's lonely, and wants to know where her sisters are. Our psychics have managed to probe into her mind, and it appears that she _is_ lonely – she can't feel the connection she has to her originator. Our psychics can and have sifted through the information they have received via the connection, but they haven't gotten much. The Doppeldame's been in her pokeball until tonight, and she broke down the instant she was let out."

"Keep at it."

"Sir, if we do it for much longer he'll know something's up."

"I said, _keep at it_. This is a Case Twelve we're dealing with, one that probably arrived under his own power, instead of the sheer number of accidents that keep getting dropped on us. We _need_ that level of power if we're to ever uncover everything Sukebe did and claim it for ourselves! We need those genes of his, too."

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, and compliment Gwen for me when you see her next, would you? She did a fantastic job on Gregor and his Doppeldame. Idiot Night Watch, bunch of boring, stereotypical low level criminals. Made it really easy for our forces to get to the 'girl. And the Tamer, well, he'll do what he would have done anyway." His grin was oddly sharklike for an individual with no water pokegirls in his ancestry, "He'll just hit a little bit _harder._"

"Certainly, sir."

"The uplifting of the human race has already begun," he continued. "It is our job to finish his work by any means necessary."

"Of course, sir," the subordinate said, rolling his eyes behind dark glasses. No way was he going to stay after the boss left.

"I will be leaving immediately. Case Twelves, so unpredictable..." he muttered.

The doctor nodded his agreement, not that his boss noticed.

* * *

_Hours Later, but still long before dawn_

_Something's wrong with her_, Harry mused as he idly watched the broken pokegirl in his arms. _Nothing was wrong prior to the battle, and nothing was wrong – other than the loss of her duplicates – after it was over._

Something must have happened between the time when the 'girl was turned over for healing at the PokeCenter and the time she was handed over to him. Something rather nasty, as evidenced by the condition the 'girl was still in.

At this rate, it wouldn't be possible to train her when the sun rose. In fact, it may not be possible to train her at all... Crap. He'd have to resort to one of _those_ items. Harry sighed in a mixture of worry and relief.

_Those_ items were the ones he never sold. Never told anybody about. The items he hid so well, he might as well not even have them, for he would have difficulty reaching them under duress. He'd designed the protections to be as close to absolute as possible. Nothing else would do for many of the most powerful artifacts the world had ever known. He looked around once more. It wasn't even three in the morning.

He'd get what he was thinking of in the morning. _Before_ either of his girls woke up. The 'his girls' didn't even register in his thoughts.

* * *

**Cast of Important Characters  
**

**Harry's Harem:**

**Betsy:** Hunter Hyperdoll. Once an Assassin during the War of Revenge, she only recently evolved into a Hyperdoll due to a desire to hide her nature as a Hunter. Is very out of practice when it comes to actually fighting.

**Nameless Doppeldame:** unusual for a DD, her duplicates have a wide variety of hair colors and she enjoys combat and violence. Recently mind-fucked by an unknown faction, on top of several prior mind-fucks, have left her a bit of a mess.

**Other Characters:**

**Captain Samuel Strongarm:** Human, only human Captain in the Stockton Legion. Has a personal harem of one pokegirl, Sienna, a Ka-D-Bra that he is Delta Bonded with.

**Gregor Blunderghast:** Minor villain and scapegoat. Slightly more intelligent than his deceased cousin Bartholomew. No longer has an 'official' Harem. Is out for revenge.

* * *

**Ending A/N:**

I have a poll up! Where in the world, or multiverse, is Alleria Windrunner? I have several ideas! Let me know where she is, or if she's elsewhere! Poll will be up until I take it down!

Thank you **goku90504** for pointing out the errors I made in the previous chapter. Oops!

**Kid Coheed:** We'll see what he gets.

**Plums:** You make a good point, but the pokegirl world is a large, nasty, dirty place. I was going to have more of that in this chapter than I did, but your point is why I removed it and wrote the first scene instead - poking a little fun at myself.

**CapnJackSparrow21:** My objective is once every two weeks. Obviously, I failed at that this time around, but chapter five is about 25% done already.

**Wolfey141:** I have a _lot_ of ideas about how to handle that. I'm probably going to go with the craziest one I can think of, but it'll be a while before we get to it.

**basa93:** Thank you for the reply to my PM, it helped in writing this chapter _and_ planning for future chapters, though I admit I'd forgotten all about it. He's going to fill out a relatively balanced Harem within a few chapters. Where he goes after Azeroth is still up in the air.

**Acolyte of the Blood Moon:** She gets a new, 'real' name, next chapter.

**Cal the Puppet: **We'll see.

**Kaemon Manzo:** That sounds like a good idea. IMPLEMENTED as of this chapter.

**Skullduggery Goodfellow:** It is a stereotype. *shrugs* Thanks! The genders of the 'powers that be' will have some importance later, but I haven't worked it out yet, I need to finish Book One first!

**Thank you GhostWagon,** **PotterinCanada, Meteorthunder3, karthik9, Guest, Jake, Fateburn, KoniK47, nadirjohn, Aeonir,** another **Guest**, **Artemis-Ikana_, _****Okiro Zangetsu, Frytrix, Doc3266, ZachN17 for reviewing!**


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